“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35b
“These simple words of Jesus provide the key to freedom and joy in our relationship with money. Though this is a well-known verse, few Christ-followers truly know, understand, and apply this truth in their everyday lives.
In more than 20 years of working with givers, I have observed that ambivalence towards the words of Jesus is not due to lack of belief, rather it is because we have been caught up in the power of money for far too long. The term “blessed” isn’t even all that accessible anymore due to its overuse, so I prefer Randy Alcorn’s helpful definition — he translates “blessed” as “happy-making”.
Money, or the love of money rather, breeds many things that are anti-blessed or not “happy-making”. Money has the tendency to isolate and cause anxiety. It has power in our lives because we believe it can fulfill, protect, give control, and ultimately satisfy. It whispers in our ear that without it, we won’t be happy or secure. The love of money or the pursuit of ever-more money creates an atmosphere that all too often takes God, and our dependence on Him, out of the equation.
So how can giving break the power of money in our lives?
I would suggest that giving can break the power of money in three ways, firstly, through revealing the power of grace, secondly, by challenging our self-reliance, and thirdly, in welcoming us into a conversation with our Creator.”
Todd Harper, President of Generous Giving, in his three-page essay “How can giving break the power of money in one’s life?” in Purposeful Living: Financial Wisdom for All of Life compiled and edited by Gary G. Hoag and Tim Macready (Rhodes, NSW: Christian Super, 2018) 55-57. Click on the title to download this free ebook today.
This is one of those spiritual lessons that we don’t figure out until we live it out.
The power of money is real. It crosses the line and takes control of our lives when it promises us things only God can deliver. Sadly, all too often we succumb to it’s temptations and live like we believe the lies. It whispers to us to hold on to money, telling us that it can “fulfill, protect, give control, and ultimately satisfy” our deepest longings when in reality, only God can do that.
We only realize these are lies when, instead, we listen to Jesus and do what He says. He’s not trying to rob us but help us. It’s like we are in an Escape Room called “Money” and giving is the mystical, counter-intuitive key that unlocks the only pathway to freedom and joy. As Harper notes, it reveals the power of grace, challenges our self-reliance, and welcomes us into a conversation with our Creator.
I am convinced that the first followers of Christ did not settle for the anti-blessed life. In today’s Scripture, Luke recounts Paul proclaiming this saying of Jesus to the Ephesian elders in his farewell address to them in a way that reveals to us that these disciples wanted everyone to know the freedom and joy it offers. Do you? Have you discovered experientially how giving breaks the power of money in your life?
Once you live it out you stand in awe that you get to serve as a conduit that enjoys and shares God’s generosity.