The Blessedness of Receiving

by David Gibson

"Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2).

Yes, we must help each other with life's burdens, but there is another side to the coin, an implication we might easily overlook. If we are to bear one another's burdens, we may also need to have our burdens borne.

Jesus taught, "... the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve ..." (Matthew 20:28). But that doesn't mean he was never on the receiving end. He allowed Mary of Bethany to anoint his feet with a costly ointment (John 12:3). Jesus and the twelve were financially supported in part by a group of devoted women whom Jesus had healed (Luke 8:1-3).

Avoiding Extremes

We can neither afford to be overly dependent when we should be standing on our own feet, nor overly independent when we need someone to hold us up. The key is balance. The goal, then, is interdependence.

“We share our mutual woes,
Our mutual burdens bear.”

Receiving in Perspective

No one can live long without needing human help along the way. When Jesus said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35), he was implying that receiving is blessed too! How rarely is this taught, but it deserves attention.

How Can We Be Saved Unless We Receive?

Salvation is a gift we can neither earn nor deserve, contingent on our obedience to the gospel (Romans 5:15-17; 6:23; II Corinthians 9:15; Ephesians 2:8; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:37-38, 41; 22:16; Titus 3:5).

“He paid a debt He did not owe,
I owed a debt I could not pay,
I needed someone to wash my sins away.”

Oh, the blessedness of receiving!