Title: Giving True Happiness (Acts 20:35)
Contents
How did that deacon feel happy while working hard for others? Was it just a passing word, or was it a real experience? The deep meaning of the words of the Bible can be known through experience. Everything has theory and practice. When the two are in harmony, there are good results. When theory and practice are different, the balance is broken. It is also said to be unstable. Even in interpersonal relationships, honest people are consistent in their words and actions. A person who agrees in words and deeds can have a good relationship. However, this is not the case with people who are 'non-confrontational'. Thus, biblical theory and practice must be in harmony.
The saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” is very well known. What is important is whether these statements actually apply to each individual. Conflict arises when there is a gap between theory and practice. For example, suppose a couple hears a sermon that says, "Let's love each other." Hearing the sermon, the couple were deeply moved. They returned home thinking that love for each other was very important. One day, the couple got into an argument. they resented each other. Both complained that the other didn't love them, as the other had heard in the sermon. As a result, the goal only went deeper. If theory and practice do not harmonize, there is no choice but to do so. Even if you have good information, it is of no use unless you make it your own. In that case, no matter how good information is, it is only a theory. When you apply the words of the Bible not only in theory, but in real life, good results are obtained.
Christ's words, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" or "Blessed are the poor in spirit," are true. The problem is that we don't do it, but if we do that, we can experience happiness. You can enjoy true happiness when you know the word of the Bible as the word of truth, not just a theory scattered in the air, and apply it to your life. However, there is a big difference between 'knowing that you will be happy' and 'enjoying' that happiness itself. It is important to make this valuable information your own in practice, not just theory.
You may have heard the term Hospice (Hospital of Peace). Hospice refers to a special hospital that provides maximum comfort and comfort to patients who are about to die. These days, there are a lot of hospice education around us. People with hospice education spend time in hospitals with patients nearing their death. They give their hearts and their time to the dying. What will they think of as they spend their lives with the sick?
Everyone makes comparisons. There are undesirable comparisons. For example, it is problematic to simply compare a person with both eyes to a person without one, such as "I'm better than you". The ecclesiastical gifts also have a personality flaw in those who make simple comparisons. Comparisons to prove one's own superiority are always problematic. However, there are cases where this is not the case.
People with hospice education will spend time with dying patients and feel that they are still healthier than them. Those with such thoughts are always grateful. They feel grateful for the fact that they can give to others and work harder.
On the other hand, consider a man who has rich friends. He is always well-received by his friends in the luxurious and extravagant luxury fairies. What would he think of receiving treatment from his rich friends almost every day? He will be treated well, but he will be compared with his friends, thinking, "My friends have inherited a lot of fortune, so they are doing well, but what am I? He always complains that he is inferior to those who give him.
Who is happier: someone who gets a hospice education and invests in the dying, or who gets a good reception every day in a bar? Professors and beggars have something in common. That is, it is difficult to be both, and once you do, there is no problem in making a living. One is a giving job and the other is a receiving job. Who would they feel happier? Those who seek happiness simply by receiving it cannot enjoy a higher level of happiness. The common denominator of those who are often called saints is that they have given up possessiveness.
It is being said these days that one of the top ten duties of parents is to keep their children out of the military. Of course, it must be a buzzword among some young people. Who is saying those things? Can a person who grew up giving up say something like that? Not like that. They are changing in that way because they are children who have always received and grown up. From a parent's point of view, this means self-sufficiency. What would young people with such a mindset think when they join the military? There is nothing to do but think that it will rot in three years. Such people have a sense of victimization no matter what they do, and there is no choice but to be critical.
From a biblical point of view, proper education should be given to others. The reason why you should study and get a higher social position is because it gives you an opportunity to give it to more people. However, if this goes wrong, it turns into something because they can take care of others more than others. Education that satisfies only one's greed makes not only the individual but also the whole society unhappy.
Today's social problems come from receiving. It becomes a problem when people with strong ego live. I have a problem because I want to get it at school, at work, and in the military. If I want my child to be loved at school, I need to know that others do too. You should also know that if my son leaves the military illegally, the other person's son will suffer just as much. When ego-centered people who don't think about other people and only think about themselves gather together, they can't help but get tired of each other. Because we don't want to give everything, we just want to have. When the church tries to receive each other, problems arise. The church must give to each other.
It is true that it is more blessed to give than to receive. The truth does not change. If you want to be happy, you have to train to give. If you want your children to be happy, you have to teach them that way. It is absurd to say that you want to be happy while teaching only what you receive. It is not enough for us to know that the Bible says that giving is a blessing. A truth that does not apply is like a house without a roof. Because faith without works is itself dead (James 2:17).
If the words of the Bible are the truth, who is the happiest person in the world? He is a giver. Who is the most unfortunate? Those who steal or obtain things illegally. People who cheat, steal and take bribes are unfortunate people who are born into this world and have never experienced true happiness.
Like the butler I mentioned at the beginning, we can experience happiness by practicing giving. Only the giver can know the true meaning of these words. The saints can participate in this happiness through training. In the text, Paul says that the saying that giving is happiness was the words of the Lord Jesus Himself. What is Faith? Faith, after all, is having the mind of Christ. Christ came into this world and gave everything for others. He was the essence of God, but He gave everything. He was the happiest man in the world. To believe in Christ is to follow Him. True happiness can only be obtained by following Him.
Serve the church. Is there anyone who thinks, "I have nothing to give. If I can't afford it myself, where can I afford to think about others?" He is a person who is throwing away happiness soon. Go and ask the person who helps others and the person you want to receive on a daily basis. Who says happiest... Take the time you don't have at church to ask those who work hard and those who do not. Who is happier... Serve with a sincere heart. Then you will experience happiness there. Choir, Youth Sunday School, etc...
A church that always wants to receive cannot enjoy true happiness. If the church only receives it, it becomes unhappy. For example, let's say that someone gave me 1 million won. Then you will have a lot of money and you will feel good. And in the next month and the next month, he gave me 1 million won each. But one day he never gave me money. So what do you think? You will become resentful, thinking that the other person doesn't care about you. But how long can we not be able to receive it?
There is nothing more miserable than wanting to receive from others. It is self-inflicted unhappiness. Now, let's pray that we can give to others with a sincere heart. Paul left these words as a will while giving a farewell sermon to the elders of the Ephesian church in Miletus. As Christians, we need to keep these words in our hearts. Our church should be a church that can give even a little. Let us experience happiness not only by collecting money, but also by spending it. Don't you want to be happy too?