ARE YOU A GIVER?
“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom….” (Luke 6:38 KJV)
Our Lord is a Master Teacher and His teachings are just as true today as they were when He walked the earth. Some of His most profound teachings form part of the Sermon on the Mount where He preached and instructed His disciples, and the multitude, concerning their duty to God and man.
In this verse, Jesus encourages us to be givers. According to Him, when you give you will also receive. He does not say you may receive but you will receive. He guarantees the multitude that what they will receive will be a good measure. In other words, it will not be meagre but in abundance. You see, when God recompenses, He recompenses largely, abundantly. It is He that recompenses although in some cases He will use men as instruments and that is why the Word says "shall men give into your bosom."
In 1 Kings 17, God told Elijah to go to Zarephath where He had commanded a widow to provide for him. Elijah went as instructed and when he saw the widow, he asked her to get him some water and then added that she should also bring him a morsel of bread. The widow explained that she had no bread but only a handful of flour and some oil, which she was going to prepare for herself and her son to eat and then die. Elijah asked her to first make him a small cake after which, she could make something for herself and her son. She obeyed and because of her obedience in giving what she had, the Word of the Lord concerning her was fulfilled. The bin of flour was never used up and the jar of oil never ran dry. She had given and she received a good measure. (1 Kings 17:16).
Again, we are told that when the Queen of Sheba went to visit King Solomon, she took with her “a very great retinue, camels that bore spices, gold in abundance and precious stones.” She presented these gifts to Solomon but the Bible says she left with so much more than what she took. “Now King Solomon gave to the Queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for; he gave her more than she had brought to him…..” (2 Chronicles 9:12 NIV)
Everything Jesus taught His disciples and the people of His day is also for us. He expects us too to walk in the light of the same instructions He gave to them then. God desires that we be a giving people, a generous people. We have nothing to lose by giving because He has promised us that if we do, there is so much more that we will receive.
Of course, God does not expect us to give simply because we want to receive in return. Our giving should be from a pure, willing and cheerful heart. There should be no “hidden agenda.” In other words, our giving should not be manipulative and with an ulterior motive.
Prayer:
Lord, thank you so much for your Word, which teaches us how to be better people. Cause us to be a giving people. Help us to always be willing to give to others. O God, may we learn from you who readily gave your only Son for our sake. Help us to give with a pure heart and to understand that when we give, we will receive so much more in return. Thank you Lord for hearing this prayer in Jesus Mighty Name. Amen.
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