Receiving is as much a part of the kingdom of God as is giving. When Jesus came, He came to bring the kingdom, and with that came the setting free of captives, the cleansing of sin, the healing of diseases and so much more. He came, ultimately to give His life, and when something is given, there must also be a receiving. As the beloved, we cannot participate in the fullness of Christ without being open to receiving it first. 

Why is this so hard for some? Because receiving involves humility. Refusing to receive can be a type of false humility. Receiving involves true humility because it says that I am humbling myself to take the gift that is being offered to me. The night of the Passover meal, Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. When Peter realized what Jesus was doing, He could not accept it. Jesus explained to Him that unless Peter received His love and sacrifice that Peter could have no part with Him. When Peter heard this, he fully understood the importance of receiving. He said, “Then, Lord, not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” (John 13:7-9). 

The nature of God is to give. He is a giving God, and so we strive to be like Him in our giving, and yet, if we don’t also learn to receive, we miss the opportunity to share in what He offers. Likewise, if we do not allow ourselves to receive from others, we rob them of the opportunity to give like Jesus, to be His hands and feet to us.  

God is able to bless you abundantly, and in most cases, He does that through others. Sometimes, serving others looks like receiving what they are so graciously willing to give. There is joy in both giving and receiving as God provides our needs to abound in every good work. Let us be moved to humble ourselves to receive, recognizing that it is through laying down our pride, we are able to be blessed and bless others through our receiving.