“I’ve never, as you so well know, had any taste for wealth or fashion. With these bare hands I took care of my own basic needs and those who worked with me. In everything I’ve done, I have demonstrated to you how necessary it is to work on behalf of the weak and not exploit them. You’ll not likely go wrong here if you keep remembering that our Master said, ‘You’re far happier giving than getting.’”
Giving, giving, giving. Therein lies true joy. It may be a thing, a thought, a word, or anything else of some value either to yourself or to your recipient. Many a time it may be the gift of yourself — your time, your eyes, your ears, your mind, your heart. But it is in giving to another that true joy and blessing is to be had. Paul is telling his friends and believers in his travels this beautiful truth, and is reminding them that Jesus himself has exhorted them in this way. May this be a timely reminder to us today as well.
