Designed to Receive
“And He said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.’”
- Revelation 21:6
We were designed to receive. We have an empty space that only God can fill because He is the one who created us. Like an inventor, only the designer knows exactly what their creation needs.
God, being the Creator and designer of the universe, is the Giver. He is the embodiment of love, and the law of love is to give. He can’t help but give and give and give. He is our sustenance.
That’s why Adam and Eve were able to live in perfect harmony with God in the garden of Eden.
That perfect harmony was disrupted, though, when the serpent sneakily shined a light on their “lack.” They were already being fulfilled by God, but they were made to believe that their lack of knowledge was a bad thing. They were made to believe that God was withholding from them.
Before the fall, God created mankind and He said that it was good. Because we’ll never have the experience or knowledge that God has, we’ll always have “lack.” But that’s exactly why God fills that lack with His life and provision. The fall was a result of believing that we needed more and that we have to supply that lack for ourselves (which is impossible). This is why we end up on the constant look-out for more, more, and more, but we will never fill that God-shaped space without Him.
We were never meant or designed to fend for ourselves. That’s why the harmony fell apart between humanity and God. We wanted to be in His position as the provider and giver and all-knower. However, only ONE can fill that role— our Creator, God Almighty.
But, thanks be to God who gives us the victory of restoration through our Lord Jesus Christ! (1 Corinthians 15:57). While humanity tried to take His place, He knew the only way to restore the harmony was to take OUR place. He died the death we deserved because of our rebellion, rose from the grave to overcome the curse of sin, and paved the way for us to be in harmony with Him once again. We get to become one with Christ now, not because we contribute anything to Him, but because He fills in our lack. He covers us with His perfection.
We have to RECEIVE this gift, though, by faith. We have to choose to step off the pedestal of “giver” (which only God can be) and embrace our rightful spot as “receiver.” We must accept our design, and only then can we be back in relationship with God and be called His children (John 1:12). God is always giving in order to fill our lack; we just have to be willing to receive from Him. This is why it is impossible to please God without faith (Hebrew 11:6). Faith is the essence of receiving from God, but fear is the essence of trying to fend for oneself. In the garden, once Adam and Eve ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they covered themselves and hid. Adam responded to God by saying, “I was afraid.” They lost faith that God was providing for them and replaced it with fear.
It requires humility in faith to accept our position as “the created” and that we don’t have to know everything. Instead, we get to know the One who does. This is why God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.
Now, when we receive from God, we actually give back to Him. How? Like a kiss on the lips, the person can only receive the kiss by giving it back. With God, we give back by returning it with gratitude. 1 Thessalonians tells us to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” We also give back by returning His love and operating in His love for others: “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). God first gives to us, we receive from Him, and that enables us to give back to Him and to others. We cannot give of our own reservoir; it must come from God’s endless water of life. If we try to give our own love, we will deplete. We must draw from the eternal source. This is why our identity in Christ is essential to be an effective Christian. We must know our place, embrace our place, and trust our place below the Creator so that we can receive in order to give.
Finally, because we are designed to be receivers, if we’re not receiving from God, we’re inevitably going to be receiving from another source— whether it’s the enemy, the world, or ourselves. 1 John 2:16 says, “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.” We’re going to be seeking more, more, and more of what our fleshly desires want, yet we’ll never be satisfied. This is the state of the majority of the world. Unbelievers don’t recognize that the “lack” they feel can only be filled-in by God. The same principle applies to us as believers, though. We tend to forget our position, which leads to falling into the same trap of trying to fill the emptiness with more worldly things. The role that the enemy plays is to keep whispering the same lie that he spoke in the garden: “You don’t have enough.” Nothing has changed. But the way to combat this is simple: “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:7-8). In other words, reposition yourself in Christ. Receive the unconditional and unfailing love of Christ and submit to His direction. Draw from the water of life, from the well that won’t ever run dry.
Take a Moment:
Have you received Christ’s sacrifice in faith, believing that He saved you? Or are you still believing that you had something to do with your restoration to Him?
Evaluate your walk with God and with others. Are you more prone to receive (have faith) or more prone to try to be the giver (operating in fear)?
Presently, are you operating from depletion or overflow?
Spend today thanking God and trusting that He WANTS to give. That is His nature. Be open to receive with faith.
Embracing our position as receivers is what it means to live by faith.
-Alina