IT’S GREATER TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE
Ac 20:34You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions.
Ac 20:35In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
As Jesus taught and Paul reminds us in this Scripture, it is greater to give than to receive. But why? Well, honestly, it would be enough that Jesus said it. I believe it and I do not need more evidence. However, I find it exciting when Science “discovers” physically, what God has always known.
Science has found that many health benefits occur when we give. Feel good neurotransmitters such as serotonin are released. Serotonin is highly correlated to sleep, appetite, movement, and mood. Immune functioning increases because Killer T Cells are sent out into the body to find viruses and kill them; thus, increasing our immunity to disease. Pain intensity and duration decreases because, in part, catecholamines such as norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine (feel good neurotransmitters) are released. Attachment hormones, vasopressin and oxytocin are released, which help us form bonds and have a sense of connectedness with others. Now, that’s amazing!
Warriors, I encourage you to get together and go serve someone in need this week. Do it individually (make someone a dinner), or do it as a group (clean someone’s house or plant some flowers for them). Organize a food-drive, a school-supply drive, a community project such as build a habitat house for a family. Whatever you do to love someone else through service and sacrifice will benefit you beyond words – it will bless you physiologically, spiritually, and emotionally. You will experience a “giver’s high.” You’ve heard of a runner’s high. Let’s call it the “Running the race set out for you high – to obtain the prize in Christ Jesus.”
I love it when science “discovers” what God created in His first place.
Kristina Seymour loves to encourage and equip women through the Word and through community. She is the author of The Warrior Mom Handbook, The Warrior Mom Leadership Manual, and The Warrior Wife Handbook; they are available at Amazon.com. Kristina's Bible studies are for women who desire to live by faith in the midst of their everyday lives. She has learned that women can't survive on caffeine and animal crackers alone; women in the Word and in community are united and able to stand firm. To learn more about Kristina, please visit her website, https://kristinaseymour.com/. God loves to share His story of love and grace through us all, and Kristina believes that everyone has a story to tell.
Originally published Tuesday, 05 June 2018.
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