“Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.”
Matthew 10:8 NASB

Jesus gave this command to His disciples as He sent them out to minister in His name. They were not going out with their own power, their own brilliance, or their own supply. They were going with what they had first received from Him. That is the heart of the verse. Grace comes down from Christ, and then grace goes out through His people.

For many men, that hits a sore spot.

A lot of men feel like they do not have much left to offer. Life has been expensive. Some have made mistakes. Some carry regret. Some feel like they are running on fumes, like an old toolbox with a few bent nails and one screwdriver that barely works. But Jesus does not say, “Freely you earned, freely give.” He says, “Freely you received, freely give.”

That changes everything.

The Christian life is not about pretending you are impressive. It is about receiving from Christ and then opening your hand. Maybe you cannot heal the sick in the same way the apostles did in that moment of redemptive history, but the principle still stands: what God gives you is meant to move through you. Mercy is meant to be shared. Truth is meant to be spoken. Encouragement is meant to be passed along. Wisdom learned in suffering is not meant to stay locked in the garage of your soul collecting dust.

As men, our lives hold both good and bad experiences. There are victories we did not deserve and scars we did not ask for. Yet God often uses both. He can take the strength He built in you, the lessons He taught you, the comfort He gave you in private, and turn it outward to bless another man who is barely holding it together.

This is how Christ works. He does not just save us from sin; He makes us useful in His hands. Jesus is the perfectly generous One. He gave healing to the hurting, mercy to the guilty, truth to the confused, and finally His own life for sinners. He did not hoard grace. He poured it out. And if you belong to Him, then your life, however ordinary it feels, can become a channel of that same grace.

So do not despise what God has placed in your hands. A word of prayer, a hard-earned lesson, a quiet act of service, a phone call, a testimony, a little time, a little strength, a little money, a little encouragement, these things are not small when Christ is in them.

You may feel like you do not have much. But in Jesus, even what feels small can feed somebody.

Pray This

Lord Jesus, thank You for giving to me what I could never earn. Thank You for mercy, truth, strength, and hope. Help me stop looking at my life as empty or wasted. Show me how to use what You have given me to serve, encourage, and bless others. Take even my painful experiences and make them useful in Your hands. Teach me to give freely because I have received freely from You. Amen.