With What Measure...

Jesus said, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again” (Luke 6:38). Giving is not restricted to monetary giving. Often time spent with another is of far greater value than any money we might give them. With that in mind, reflect upon some lessons to be learned from this passage.

First, we cannot out give God. We give, and God sees to it we are blessed in return. But when God gives back unto us it is “pressed down, shaken together, running over.” When You get a box of cereal at the grocery store the manufacturer will inform you that "some settling of contents may have occurred." Sure enough, you open the box and it has settled to a significant level below what we might consider to be full. That is shaken down, but it is not running over. God will fill your cup till it runs over, and that after it has been shaken together. No, my friend, you cannot out give God.

Second, the things men give to us are actually provided by God. The atheist, agnostic, skeptic, and materialist would have you believe that any material possessions you might obtain in this life are due to your own hard work, ingenuity, or just plain luck. But James tells us that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above” (James 1: 17). God may use others as instruments in His bestowal of gracious blessing unto you, but it is God Who gives nonetheless.

Third, God will give to us according to what measure we use to give unto others. The story was told of a baker who lived in a village not far removed from Quebec. He regularly bought his butter from a neighboring farmer. One day he became suspicious that the farmer was not measuring the butter accurately, and that his regular purchase of one pound of butter was not quite one pound. So he decided to investigate. For several days he weighed the butter and discovered that the rolls of butter the farmer brought were short the designated amount. This angered the baker so that he took the farmer before the judge. The judge asked the farmer, "Do you have weights by which you measure the butter you sell to the baker?" The farmer answered, "No, sir." The judge then asked, "How then do you manage to weigh the butter that you sell to the baker?" The farmer answered: "That's easily explained, Your Honor. When the baker began buying his butter from me, I thought I'd get my bread from him. It is the one pound loaf which he brings me that I've been using as a weight for the butter I sell him."

Now, let us apply this to our own plans and goals. Why not determine that you will give more, even sacrificially. Plan to give more of your time to the Lord’s work. Why not set aside some time to better prepare yourself to serve in the Kingdom? Why not set aside one extra night a week to make visits; encourage the fainthearted; teach the lost? Why not spend less time in front of the TV, and more time reading and studying? Why not cut back on the times you eat out each week or each month and give more unto the Lord? Why not determine that you will sacrifice a hunting trip, or a week's vacation to travel to Mexico, Russia, or attend some lectureship? You see, God's promise is applicable in so many areas. And remember this, “with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again” (Matthew 7:2).

Baptized Into Christ
We rejoice with the angels in heaven at the response of Rebecca Thompson to the gospel of Christ this past Wednesday evening. Rebecca was baptized for the remission of sins by her father, Mike Thompson. Keep her in your daily prayers.

Did you know it is scientifically impossible for a bumble bee to fly? The wing structure, the weight of the body, and the shape of the head make it an impossibility for it to fly. But the bumble bee doesn't know this .... so it flies anyway !!! God's power added to our life gives added strength; strength we never dreamed of having. There is nothing we cannot do when we allow him in out lives.