by Tom Wacaster
Jesus said, "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall they give into your bosom; for with what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again" (Luke 6:38). There are some interesting lessons here.
First, we cannot out give God! We give, and God sees to it we are given unto. In addition, what God gives is "pressed down, shaken together, and running over." When you get a box of cereal at the store the manufacturer informs you that "some settling of contents may have occurred." Sure enough, you open it and the box is half empty. That, my friends, is "shaken down," but it is not "running over." God will fill your cup till it "over runs," even after having been shaken down!
Second, the things "men" give to us are actually provided by God. The atheist may say, "I worked hard, I labored, I sowed, I reaped! I have provided my blessings; not God!" But what does the atheist use in order to plant the seed and reap the harvest? He must have the seed, fertile ground, rain and sunshine - all given by God. The means by which the atheist or unbeliever acquires the necessities of life is no different than that of the obedient child of God. The former ignores God's benevolent hand behind it all, the later believes that "every good gift and every perfect gift is from above" (Jas. 1:17).
Third, it should be noted that Jesus did NOT say, "With what type you give, so shall it be given unto you again." Some contend that if we give monetarily to the Lord, He will in turn make us rich. That is never promised in the Scriptures. It may be that God will provide us with abundance of material things - as He has so done to those of us who enjoy the standard of living we now enjoy. Genuine wealth, however, cannot be measured in terms of dollars and cents. It can only be measured in currency that is spiritual, namely eternal life and eventually a home in heaven with our Father Who has blessed us in so many ways.
Fourth, God will give to us according to what measure we give to others. If we are greedy and selfish, giving little to others in the way of assistance and encouragement, God will use that same "measure" to give back to us. Have you ever wondered why it is that some people are constantly struggling with life, finances, emotions, to name but a few areas in which they have difficulty? Is it possible that life seems to have "passed them by" because, like the rich man in Luke 16, they have passed others by along life's pathway?
Finally, we learn that our God is a beneficent God! He is not stingy, nor does He reprimand us when we ask His blessings. A most beautiful passage in this regard has to do with God's gracious bestowal of wisdom to those who ask. But within that passage we see a wonderful trait of our God that few realize: "But if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given to him" (Jas. 1:5, emphasis mine, TW).
This article is not really an article having to do with our contribution, though certainly the principles apply. This article is really an attempt to help us recognize the wonderful God Whom we serve, and His desire to give to His children those things they need - and in many instances those things they don't NEED but that make life enjoyable!
I'll close with a pointed, but humorous illustration: A baker living in a village not far from Quebec bought his butter from a neighboring farmer. One day he became suspicious that the butter was not a full one pound weight, and decided he would investigate the matter. For several days he weighed the butter, and discovered the rolls of butter the famer brought were short the designated amount. This so angered him that he had the farmer arrested. "I assume you have weights," said the judge. "No sir," replied the farmer." "How do you manage to weigh the butter that you sell?" "That's easily explained, Your Honor," said the farmer. "When the baker began buying his butter from me, I thought I 'd get my bread from him. It is the same one pound loaf which he brings me that I've been using as a weight for the butter I sell him."
Jesus said, "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall they give into your bosom; for with what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again" (Luke 6:38). There are some interesting lessons here.
First, we cannot out give God! We give, and God sees to it we are given unto. In addition, what God gives is "pressed down, shaken together, and running over." When you get a box of cereal at the store the manufacturer informs you that "some settling of contents may have occurred." Sure enough, you open it and the box is half empty. That, my friends, is "shaken down," but it is not "running over." God will fill your cup till it "over runs," even after having been shaken down!
Second, the things "men" give to us are actually provided by God. The atheist may say, "I worked hard, I labored, I sowed, I reaped! I have provided my blessings; not God!" But what does the atheist use in order to plant the seed and reap the harvest? He must have the seed, fertile ground, rain and sunshine - all given by God. The means by which the atheist or unbeliever acquires the necessities of life is no different than that of the obedient child of God. The former ignores God's benevolent hand behind it all, the later believes that "every good gift and every perfect gift is from above" (Jas. 1:17).
Third, it should be noted that Jesus did NOT say, "With what type you give, so shall it be given unto you again." Some contend that if we give monetarily to the Lord, He will in turn make us rich. That is never promised in the Scriptures. It may be that God will provide us with abundance of material things - as He has so done to those of us who enjoy the standard of living we now enjoy. Genuine wealth, however, cannot be measured in terms of dollars and cents. It can only be measured in currency that is spiritual, namely eternal life and eventually a home in heaven with our Father Who has blessed us in so many ways.
Fourth, God will give to us according to what measure we give to others. If we are greedy and selfish, giving little to others in the way of assistance and encouragement, God will use that same "measure" to give back to us. Have you ever wondered why it is that some people are constantly struggling with life, finances, emotions, to name but a few areas in which they have difficulty? Is it possible that life seems to have "passed them by" because, like the rich man in Luke 16, they have passed others by along life's pathway?
Finally, we learn that our God is a beneficent God! He is not stingy, nor does He reprimand us when we ask His blessings. A most beautiful passage in this regard has to do with God's gracious bestowal of wisdom to those who ask. But within that passage we see a wonderful trait of our God that few realize: "But if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given to him" (Jas. 1:5, emphasis mine, TW).
This article is not really an article having to do with our contribution, though certainly the principles apply. This article is really an attempt to help us recognize the wonderful God Whom we serve, and His desire to give to His children those things they need - and in many instances those things they don't NEED but that make life enjoyable!
I'll close with a pointed, but humorous illustration: A baker living in a village not far from Quebec bought his butter from a neighboring farmer. One day he became suspicious that the butter was not a full one pound weight, and decided he would investigate the matter. For several days he weighed the butter, and discovered the rolls of butter the famer brought were short the designated amount. This so angered him that he had the farmer arrested. "I assume you have weights," said the judge. "No sir," replied the farmer." "How do you manage to weigh the butter that you sell?" "That's easily explained, Your Honor," said the farmer. "When the baker began buying his butter from me, I thought I 'd get my bread from him. It is the same one pound loaf which he brings me that I've been using as a weight for the butter I sell him."