If we are giving, what do we receive?

Luke 6:38 (NIV)

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.”

I am now on my fourth day of Donate:365. I’ve been giving a lot of thought to giving and what God says about it.

In Luke 6:38, we are told that if we give, we will receive overflowingly and abundantly what we give. I’m heard this verse for years. Have you? But, I’ve only hear it during offering. And, only verse 38; no more.

This scripture is buried in the teachings of Jesus with no mention of money. In my Bible, it’s under the heading “Judging Others.” Let me give you the entire section for context.

Judging Others

³⁷ “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 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.”

³⁹ He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? ⁴⁰ The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.

⁴¹ “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴² How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Life lessons from Jesus himself. So easy. His yoke is easy and His burden is light, you know. (Matthew 11:30)

We are not to expect to receive more stuff, money, material goods, etc..

Receiving has a lot of different meanings.

We can receive those things, too,  though.

In Genesis 24:1 (NIV), we are told just how much God blessed Abraham.

Abraham was now old and well advanced in years, and the LORD had blessed him in every way. (Emphasis added)

“In every way.” God speaks repeatedly about following His commandments and what you will receive. His promises are true. He wants to bless you.

Joy
Time
Abundance
Prosperity
Enough

Freedom.

If you’ve been following my blog for any length of time, you may have noticed that I adore Chapter 6 of Matthew. If you haven’t read it, I invite you to meditate on it today. It gives you everything you need as a Christ follower in one succinct chapter. (Click here to read it from BibleGateway.com)

Here’s a snippet for you. Matthew 6:25 – 34 says,

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

We are to consider today. And, today only. What we need, we receive today. In His will. In His timing.

It’s as simple as that.

Be blessed today.

~BC_ Chelle

Day 1 of Donate:365

Luke 6:38 (NIV)

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.”

The excitement got my heart racing.

Last night, after my post, all I could think about was:

What will I donate tomorrow?

Not in a panicked, why-have-I-done-this-to-myself? way, but in a fun. excited and refreshed way.

Wow. God is faithful.

So today, I step into my new minimalist reality. And, I’m excited!

For today, I donated something that I’ve had since I was 16. It’s traveled through college, apartments, cities and transitions. It’s been packed, unpacked and repacked on numerous occasions. For the past five years, it’s sat on a shelf in my kitchen, and I’ve never used it once.

But, it’s cute!

Look! It’s so pretty!

I can stick a candle in it!

GET RID OF IT!

It’s time. So…here it is. My departed treasure of the day:

Day 1 of Donate:365

Yes, it’s a little kitty cat votive holder. Cute, huh? I know. That’s why I’ve kept it for 20 years!

Now, it’s in my Donate:365 box. I breathe a sigh of relief, as I move on with my day.

One down. 364 to go.

Be blessed today, my friends!

~BC_Chelle

Pressed down, shaken together and running over

“The secret of following God’s will – I discovered – usually is wrapped up in rejecting the good for God’s best.” K.P. Yohannan Revolution in World Missions.

I helped with vacation bible school at my church last week. Teaching children about Jesus is a joy. They see things and know things that we as adults must have forgotten a long the way. Like that Jesus’ word is the absolute truth because – well – He said so.

~At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2~He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3~And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4~Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5~And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. Matthew 18:1-5 (NIV)

Last night we learned about sacrifice, and what true sacrifice is. We sang a new song about Jesus’ dying on the cross for us and what it meant. It was beautiful to see all these little hands pressed up toward heaven. God is good.

In a demonstration on sacrifice, two younger vbs-ers were each given one dollar. They were told that if one sacrificed their dollar to the other person, then the person with $2 could exchange it for $5. Quite a nice exchange rate if you ask me.

Neither child gave up their dollar.

They both figured it was better to have $1 than for someone else to have $5.

Awwwww, the joys of a giving heart.

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.” Luke 6:38 (NIV)

Little did they know, that if one had sacrificed his dollar for the other’s benefit, they both would have received $5 each!

I haven’t seen so much back peddling in my life. LOL

But, it was too late. The decision had been made.

Let’s look again at Luke 6:38:

Give, and it will be given to you. Remember when I said that God’s word is truth. Simple as that. He doesn’t just stop here. Jesus goes on to tell you exactly how much you will get for your giving. God doesn’t leave anything to chance, and He certainly doesn’t leave us confused and bewildered.

According to Jesus, what you give you will get back:

A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.

Poured into your lap! Imagine it! EVERYTHING you give will be given back to you good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, (and) will be poured into your lap!

Now, did Jesus ever mention the word money? Does he specifically say “Now, this is for your tithe only or when a missionary comes to church. Don’t worry about giving anything else.”

Ummmmmm, no.

So what if I give kindness? Joy? Light? Peace? And, if I give my bad attitude…well…

For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Ever meet those people who complain and complain about how miserable/awful/horrible their life is? Have you ever watched to see what they are giving out?

How willing are you to give?

Jesus also said,

40~And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41~If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42~Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.~ Matthew 5:40-42 (NIV)

I have to learn this, too. We were all born into sin. That is why we need Jesus. We were all born into selfishness, otherwise “no” and “mine” wouldn’t be every toddler’s favorite words.

When we accept Jesus into our hearts and devote our lives to His purpose, He changes us to make us more like Him. The Holy Spirit will show us right from wrong. We only have to listen. And, obey.

Heavenly Father, will you create in me a clean heart today, a giving heart that is straight from your Word. May you breathe into me new life to serve you, and may I walk in your path and your ways. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Praise Him,

-Chelle