Luke Ch 6 verse 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
This is one of those verses that will never become truly meaningful without actually doing something with it. There are some passages of the Bible which require our belief and where our belief is demonstrated in various ways. But not this verse. This has a simple eight-word phrase, maybe a command and then tells you what will happen when you put it into practice.
We know the phrase, ‘the proof of the pudding is in the eating’? Well, this is the Christian equivalent in regard to giving. Until you give, you will never experience the overwhelming generosity of God, a generosity that runs over what we might have expected. It is a measure that is pressed and shaken but still overflows. It sounds wonderful.
But the final line puts it into context. We receive in relation to what we have given. If we give liberally, then we will receive liberally, but if we give sparingly…….well, you get the picture.
We must never forget that when it comes to giving, God has a bigger shovel than us, and as quickly as we shovel things in his direction, it overflows back in ours.
But we have to make the first move. As I said, this is one of those verses that will never become truly meaningful without actually doing something with it.
Dear Lord Jesus, may we give out of generous hearts that are thankful to you, and may we be overwhelmed at the size of the shovelfuls coming back in our direction.
Amen