A Blessed Life-It Is More Blessed To Give Than To Receive 蒙福人生- 施比受更为有福
Shared by Bro Goh Hun Keng
Translated by Sis Charis Ong
Some may behave in this way – that is even if they do not need a certain item, they choose to keep it anyway because they cannot bear to give it away. In Chinese, ‘bear to’ is written as ‘舍得’ which can be broken up into ‘舍弃’ (to give) and ‘得到’ (receive). It can be read as one can only receive when he gives. The Lord Jesus said, “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). This is the Lord’s teaching, God’s promise and the path of blessing. We can give unto others not just in monetary or material terms, but also in time, knowledge, acts of love and so on.
· We must give cheerfully. Proverbs 11:25: “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed”.
· Help must be given with sincerity and in a timely way. Proverbs 3:27-28: “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due when it is in your power to act…”. Yet we should not do as the world does, expecting returns for doing good.
· Do not boast about yourself. Matthew 6:1-4: “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven…”
All believers will want to be blessed by God, even more so the church. Church leaders and elders can not only help fellow believers live a life of blessing, but also lead the church on a path of blessings. Be a good steward of the church’s human and financial resources so that those who are in need may receive them promptly. It does not matter if it concerns ECF Holy Word or other churches, so long as they are in Christ, they are the Lord’s church, they are sons and daughters of God. The Lord said in Matthew 25:40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
文：吴汉卿弟兄
有人或者会有这样的行为，就是：“不需要的东西，还是存留起来，不舍得给别人”。“舍得”这词分开是“舍弃”和“得到”。可以说有舍才会有得，也可以这么说: “我必需放弃一些东西，别人才会得到”。主耶稣说“施比受更为有福”（使徒行传20:35）。这是耶稣的教导，是神的应许，也是蒙福之路。施舍并非只指金钱和物质方面，也包括时间、知识、爱等行为。
· 施舍要甘心乐意的去做。箴言11:25：「好施舍的，必得丰裕；滋润人的，必得滋润。」
· 帮助人要及时和真诚。箴言3:27-28：「你手若有行善的力量，不可推迟，就当向那应得的人施行…」但也不要像有些世俗行为那样，右手出钱出力帮助人，左手却期待得到人的感恩与回报。
· 不可炫耀自己。马太福音6: 1-4 ：「你们要小心，不可将善事行在人面前，故意叫他们看见，若是这样，就不能得你们天父的赏赐…」。
信徒都想要蒙神赐福，教会更需要蒙福。教会领袖和长辈不但可以帮助信徒们过蒙福的人生，同时也要带领教会朝蒙福方向进行。把教会的人力和财力资源，有效地保护和应用，叫那应得帮助的能及时得到帮助。无论是本教会还是其他教会的事，只要是在基督里，都是主的教会、都是神的儿女。马太福音25:40，主说：「我实在告诉你们，这些事你们既做在我这弟兄中一个最小的身上，就是做在我身上了。」