Freely give

“As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.” Matthew 10:7-8

Because of my passion for food, I studied what Jesus did with food, such as performing food miracles and preparing the last supper. I noticed He always comes with two actions: taking and giving.  In John 21:13 when Jesus was serving breakfast to the disciples,  Jesus "took the bread and "gave" it to them.

“Take” in Greek is lambanō, which is the same word used for “receive”, and in a sense , Jesus demonstrates both receiving and giving throughout His ministry.

Previously I shared about how to “freely receive” by faith through grace, so as to make our heart and motive right first.  Now let's move on to the second part of the principle of “freely give". 

In the key verses, Jesus explicitly instructs His disciples to preach the gospel, heal the sick, and cast out demons. Since we have all freely received the good news from God, and some have experienced divine healing, we are expected to share these benefits with the world by “freely giving ”.

Furthermore, all authority has been given to Jesus, so in order to carry out Jesus' work on earth, as well as fulfill the Great Commission, we must submit to His authority and continue the principle  “Freely we have received, freely give”. 

Blessing prayer: Thank you Jesus for giving us an example to freely receive and give. We submit to your authority and follow your example. Your power and provision will never run out and help us replicate more disciples for Your Kingdom. In Jesus’s name Amen