Give and It Will Be Given To You

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)

For many people these are difficult times in america and around the world. They were also difficult times when Jesus spoke these words. The people to whom Jesus preached worked all day for money sufficient enough to provide bread for the day; and what does Jesus tell them? He tells them to give.

I'm sure that the words of Jesus sounded foolish to many in that crowd as they were weighted down with the cares of the day, but somebody in that poor, hungry, ragged crowd believed the precious words that fell from the lips of this unusual young preacher. They heard a principle packed with promise, the principle of return.

According to the principle of return; you reap what you sow. Regardless of the circumstances the principle is never effected. Most importantly, you must release before receiving the return. It gets better. The returned amount is always greater than the released amount. This Jesus talking. He said that you will get back what you release"...a good measure, that means fair and honest." Then he says..." pressed down, shaken together and running over; that means packed, squeezed, into the container of your blessing until it overflows and then poured into your lap.

What a wonderful and reassuring word from our Lord for all times good or bad, but don't forget the end of the verse. For the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. it is a principle--it works--trust GOD--GIVE and you shall receive.

Don't Worry

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is no life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

The other day I walked toward my car carrying several bags of groceries, reminding myself not to complain about the sky-high food prices. As I approached the gas station, I saw the prices posted in big bold numbers, informing the public that the price of gas is escalating again. Like most of you, my income has not increased with the rising cost of living. Watch the news media on television, listen to talk radio or catch the blazing headlines on any newspaper; the message is the same, "things are not getting any better." If that does not get you down, just get into a conversation with saint or sinner about today's conditions. No wonder a rational thinking person might conclude that worry is a normal reaction to all of this, however, Jesus said, "Do not worry."

When Jesus made this bold declaration, he was not preaching to an executive's luncheon or to a group of concerned share holders of a fortune 500 company. He was preaching to wage earners, common everyday people like you and me. Actually, most of them poorer than you and me. Their employers paid them little and the Roman government taxed them heavily. consequently, they were worried about how they were going to make it. Jesus said, "Do not worry."

Let me hasten to tell you what Jesus is not saying. He is not telling us to wander aimlessly through life waiting and expecting someone to take care of us, or supplies to fall from heaven. The Lord does not want us to be dependent on the government or anybody else. Nor does he want us to have a nervous breakdown. On the contrary, Jesus is teaching us to dispatch all worries by seeking him first, placing our life in God's will. As you plan out your life do not worry, trust the Lord. Keep God first, ask him for direction and guidance and he will add all the necessities of life to us. So far God has never let us down, nor is He about to. Remember, Jesus said, "Do not worry."