Football fans know that to be a great quarterback you need receivers who can and will catch the ball. Joe Montana and Steve Young had Jerry Rice. Troy Aikman had Michael Irvin. Jim Kelly had Andre Reed. Peyton Manning had Marvin Harrison. Tom Brady has Rob Gronkowski. And if you’re not a football fan– and I’m losing you–, don’t worry, I’m done dropping names! But hopefully you get my point. A quarterback can only complete great passes if there’s someone there to receive them. He can have a great arm and throw the ball everywhere on the field, but if no one catches the ball it all comes to nothing.
This doesn’t just apply to football. In all areas of life, to give requires there being someone willing and able to receive. To be someone who gives generously there must be others willing to accept generous gifts. And yet often, for many of us, receiving can be tougher in some ways than giving.
for many of us, receiving can be tougher in some ways than giving.
It feels natural, even noble sometimes, to chafe against things like charity and pity and even mercy. It runs against our sense of pride and self-accomplishment. Accepting generous or extravagant gift giving can stir up feelings in us of weakness, inadequacy or failure. And then we resist the giver. Oh, maybe not even outwardly, but in our minds and hearts. We receive reluctantly, posturing ourselves to preserve some sense of individual pride.
But what if there was more to receiving than we thought? What if even in receiving we have an opportunity to exhibit generosity? Let’s take a closer look.
Receiving (or refusing) a gift is not all about you.
Here’s the chief problem with broken humans: we always think everything is first and foremost about us. We look to ourselves individually, our wants and needs and status, first. But gift giving is a relationship, it takes two. Remember, without a giver, there is no receiver. And without a receiver, there is no giver.
If a wide receiver in football refuses to catch a pass from his quarterback, it doesn’t only affect him. It also affects the quarterback– the giver of the pass. If the receiver keeps dropping the ball the quarterback suffers as well. And likewise, receiving the pass well from his quarterback does not only benefit the receiver, but his quarterback too, and then the whole team around them.
What if we looked at receiving a gift as an act of generosity to the giver? What if we thought of others first and foremost even in how we accept a gift?
Receiving a gift is not about earning it.
If a gift was earned it would not be a gift, it would be pay. So refusing a gift on the grounds that you don’t deserve it, or it’s too generous, or you did nothing to earn it is misunderstanding the very nature of gift. And again this reveals in us a “Me-first” mindset. What did I do? How much am I worth? How much did I earn?
Receiving a gift is not all about satisfying your needs.
A gift may well satisfy a need you think you have, but that is not its only or even central purpose. Receiving a generous gift from someone is not limited to your needs, it is not required to fit into your list of needed items. It is an opportunity to participate in the abounding of generosity and kindness; and to abound, not only in the giver but in the receiver as well. Refusing a gift on the grounds that you don’t need it is missing the point and once again is making it all about you.
What if we could give generously even in the act of receiving generosity?
But what if we didn’t see getting gifts as all about us? What if we viewed receiving people’s generous gift giving as just as much an opportunity to be generous as giving the gift was? What if we could give generously even in the act of receiving generosity?
Consider this: what if while receiving a gift our thoughts were not of ourself, “Do I deserve this? Do I want this? Do I need this?” And instead, what if our thoughts sought out the flourishing of generosity? What if our very first thoughts were, “How might I encourage and bless their generosity? How might I share this generous gift? How wonderful it is to be in a generous relationship!”
Gospel Receiving
Receiving is at the very heart of life and every relationship. It is at the very heart of the good news of Jesus and is the very seed from which the Christian life grows. All existence is gift from God. All of what’s offered in the Gospel is gift from God. To be a Christian is to be a receiver. And to live the Christian life is to be a delighted, eager, generous receiver. Look at these:
For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:17But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
John 1:12Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.
Mark 10:15And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
John 20:22And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
1 Peter 5:4
The Christian life from start to finish is about receiving. Everything we have is a gift of God (Eph 2:8). The gospel is gift. His coming to us as a child in a manger is gift. The good news of all Jesus has done for us is gift. And it is essential, for both entering and living out the Christian life, that we learn to freely and generously receive from God.
it is essential, for both entering and living out the Christian life, that we learn to freely and generously receive
And so how do we this? How do we respond as we receive from Him? Not by looking at ourselves and asking, “Do I deserve this, did I earn this…” because then it wouldn’t be gift receiving. Instead we celebrate the amazing, generous and glorious relationship we’ve been brought into in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:4). We bless him for his abundant love and generosity (Ps 103:22). And we look to share what he’s given us with those around us (1 Cor 9:23).
The gospel invitation, the Christian message to the world, is “receive”. Receive all God’s grace has done in Christ Jesus for you. And just as we have received and continue to receive from God in Christ, we can reflect that truth in how we receive from one another. As we receive from the generosity of others we have a chance to commend and emulate and communicate the kind of receiving the Gospel invites. We can reflect to others the beauty of openly receiving generosity with joy and thanksgiving and generosity of our own.
So, the next time someone seeks to be generous toward us let’s not think of ourselves first– what we want or need or think we deserve. Instead let’s consider the gospel. Let’s consider how to encourage and bless their generosity, share it with others and celebrate being included in such a generous relationship.
And let’s rejoice confidently together in all we receive so generously and abundantly from our Heavenly Father in Christ:
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. Philippians 4:19-20
