Luke records in the book of Acts: "remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” Acts 20:34-36. I was thinking on this the last couple of Days. I always thought the point was' it is better, nicer, righter, to give than to receive. That is part of it. Charity...Putting others ahead of yourself. The opposite of selfish. sort of. But, I got to thinking..in the context of Christmas. How unsatisfied many are. We didn't get what we wanted. Or we got it and it didn't live up to the Hype. Or just watching it all has depressed us because we couldn't afford(time or money) to get everybody the perfect gift.
Then it made sense. The giver is more BLESSED than the RECEIVER! As in receiving a blessing, the greater blessing. If the Holiday Blues are hitting you. You feel forgotten or ignored. Perhaps, look for someone you can give to. A kind word, A smile, A hug. A prayer. A meal, or a coat, or a place to stay. Maybe a visit. You will be the MORE BLESSED! And the blues will be gone. It is a spiritual law. Just as real as the law of Gravity.
Just as true, then, is the reality that at some point many of us have to allow others to give to us, In order for others to receive their blessing. For some, that is the most difficult admission to make.
Thank you Lord, for your most Generous gifts.
Be blessed,
Lyle
"What belongs on our Bucket List?"
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Cycle of Democracy
"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover they can vote themselves largess from the public treasury. "From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising them the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship.
"The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence:
"From bondage to spiritual faith;
from spiritual faith to great courage;
from courage to liberty;
from liberty to abundance;
from abundance to selfishness;
from selfishness to apathy;
from apathy to dependence;
from dependency back again into bondage."
Dr. Alexander Tytler, a Scot professor, wrote a scholarly tome, from which this concept comes, called "The Athenian Republic" which was published shortly before the thirteen American colonies gained independence from Britain. "Google" him to learn more.
In publishing a handout on the "Cycle" in 1994 I noted that the national debt had reached a staggering $4.5 trillion dollars. Today (Oct. 1, '07) it is $9.06 trillion! Our forebears thought of debt as slavery. They would be shocked at what their descendants have done. - - John Wrisley.
"The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence:
"From bondage to spiritual faith;
from spiritual faith to great courage;
from courage to liberty;
from liberty to abundance;
from abundance to selfishness;
from selfishness to apathy;
from apathy to dependence;
from dependency back again into bondage."
Dr. Alexander Tytler, a Scot professor, wrote a scholarly tome, from which this concept comes, called "The Athenian Republic" which was published shortly before the thirteen American colonies gained independence from Britain. "Google" him to learn more.
In publishing a handout on the "Cycle" in 1994 I noted that the national debt had reached a staggering $4.5 trillion dollars. Today (Oct. 1, '07) it is $9.06 trillion! Our forebears thought of debt as slavery. They would be shocked at what their descendants have done. - - John Wrisley.
No comments:
Post a Comment