“Freely you have received, freely give” (Matt. 10:8 NKJ).
I once knew of a father whose children craved attention from him. He seemingly was not able to give them the love they wanted from him. He went to the Lord in prayer and asked why he could not give the affection his offspring desired.
The Lord relayed this thought to his mind: “How can you give something to someone else that you have never received yourself?” The man realized that since he had never received parental affection himself, he had none to offer his own children.
The Lord did bless this father with an understanding of His love for us. Through Romans 5:5, the Lord showed him that unselfish, caring, giving, agape love is poured into our hearts by the Father, resides in us by the Son, and flows out of us by the Holy Spirit.
In life there are many things that we do not have. Consequently, we cannot give them to others. But there are many things we do have and can give. What you have freely received, that freely give.
We have received forgiveness. We are capable of forgiving.
We have received peace. We can give peace.
We have received light. We have light to share with others.
We have received joy. Let’s pass it on.
At our conversion God poured His agape love into us. We have that love to give. As the Armed Forces advertisement says, “It’s a great place to start!”
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
Dick Mills was ordained at The International Church of the Foursquare Gospel in 1949. He and his wife Betty traveled as evangelists all over the United States, Canada, Mexico, Latin America, Europe, and Australia. Dick and Betty are now home in heaven.
In 1966 Dick and Betty became a part of the then-emerging Charismatic Renewal. Passing through all denominational barriers, Dick has had the opportunity to speak in thousands of churches of varied backgrounds all over the world.
He ministered within several Christian organizations, including the Full Gospel Business Men, Women's Aglow, Inter-church Renewal Catholic Pentecostals, mainline Charismatic groups, CBN and TBN television networks, and many other independent Christian TV stations.
Dick appeared on numerous radio talk shows, written several magazine articles, and spoke at many Bible conferences and universities. He served as an adjunct professor at six Schools of the Bible and Seminaries.
In addition, Dick authored and co-authored several books and tapes. Dick's ministry was characterized by the unique gifts God has blessed him with. His services informed, enlightened, and motivated people to a higher level of commitment to God.