Receive

John 16:24 NLT Ask the Father, using my name, and you will receive and have abundant joy.

On almost any weekend, at virtually any church, there is a very good chance the topic of the sermon is giving. Generosity is a cornerstone of the Christian faith. The Lord is a giver — the giver of life, love, limitless mercy, endless grace, and so much more. ”For God so loved the world that he gave” (John 3:16). But if we are to move into a deeper relationship with God, we must learn to receive.

For many of us, giving is more comfortable than receiving because it allows us to think we are in control. When I give; I control what, when, where, and how I give. But receiving is different. To receive, I must open up and loosen my grip on life. Receiving requires trust, dependency, and surrender to the giver.

Could receiving be the missing ingredient to experiencing all the promises scripture assures us God has already provided? Jesus tells us in John 10:10 TPT, “I have come to give you life in abundance, more than you expect — life in its fullness until you overflow!” Jesus came to give this life and “infinitely more than we might ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20).

Salvation is a gift. . .but we must receive. (Romans 6:23)

Healing is a gift. . .but we must receive. (Psalm 103:3)

God’s provision is a gift. . .but we must receive. (Matthew 6:33)

God’s peace is a gift. . .but we must receive. (John 14:27)

God’s comfort is a gift. . .but we must receive. (2 Corinthians 1:3)

God’s rest is a gift. . .but we must receive.  (Matthew 11:28)

The Holy Spirit is a gift. . .but we must receive. (Acts 2:38)

These promises invite us to partake of the Lord’s goodness, without once mentioning giving, only receiving. “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13) If we are to move beyond a performance-based relationship with God, then we must learn to receive. When we choose to receive, we are moving beyond what we can do and accepting what only God can do.

If we have the mindset that we must always give, serve, and help but never get, be served, or be helped, we are missing much of what God has for each of us. Learning to receive starts with trust — trusting that God gives good gifts to His children and wants us to accept them with joy and thanksgiving. Psalm 84:11 states, “No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” But we must believe there is a loving God who wants to help and bless His children. Then receive.

The radio in your car or truck is a receiver, and if that radio is not tuned to the exact channel or frequency of the sender, the message cannot be clearly heard. God is the sender; he is always listening, speaking, giving, and blessing. We tune ourselves to God’s voice by reading His Word, by prayer, and spending quiet moments in His presence.

The greatest gift Jesus could leave behind was the Holy Spirit, his indwelling presence. Jesus even said it was better that he goes away so the Holy Spirit could come. “And with that he breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit” John 20:22. All we must do is receive.

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Gary and Sandy Anthony

1 Peter 4:10 TPT Every believer has received grace gifts, so use them to serve one another as faithful stewards of the many-colored tapestry of God’s grace.

1 Corinthians 2:12 TPT For we did not receive the spirit of this world but the Spirit of God, so that we might come to understand and experience all that grace has lavished upon us.

James 1:6-7 NLT But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

John 20:21-22 NLT Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you. Then he breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 21:21-22 NLT Then Jesus told them, I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea, and it will happen. You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.

Psalms 24:3-5 TPT Who, then, is allowed to ascend the mountain of Yahweh? And who has the privilege of entering into God’s Holy Place? Those who are clean—whose works and ways are pure, whose hearts are true and sealed by the truth, those who never deceive, whose words are sure. They will receive the Lord’s blessing and righteousness given by the Savior-God.

Psalms 37:18-19 NLT Day by day the Lord takes care of the righteous, and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever. They will not be disgraced in hard times; even in famine they will have more than enough.

John 16:24 NLT You haven’t done this before. Ask the Father, using my name, and you will receive, and have abundant joy.

Galatians 5:4-5 TPT If you want to be made right with God by fulfilling the obligations of the law, you have cut yourselves off from Christ and have fallen away from the revelation of grace! But we have received the true hope that comes from being made right with God, and by the Spirit we wait eagerly for this hope.

Proverbs 28:13 NLT Anyone who conceals their sin will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.

Galatians 3:22 NLT The Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

Philippians 3:14 NLT I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

James 1:12 NLT God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

Matthew 7:7-8 NLT Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.