Hello
We sing it so regularly in church – catchy tune and it seems to encourage (guilt) us into giving/‘throwing’ our tithes and offering. But have we ever chewed on today’s Holy Nougat for ourselves? Give it a go before you read the accompanying reflection
“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 ASV
Situated in the heart of Luke’s hard soul searching summary of the Sermon on the Mount, this verse is preceded by the Golden Rule, advice about giving to the undeserving, loving the unlovable and withholding judgement. Anybody said ‘ouch’? One could read the text as a stand-alone, at which point it probably makes for a good giving chorus.
However, when considered in light of the surroundings verses, one realizes that it references our attitudes to others also. In that case, we are brought to self examination
• What motivates my assessment of those around me
• How does my assessment of others impact my treatment of them (do I discriminate or do I treat everyone the same) [talk about ouch]
• When invited to give – to beggars, panhandlers, to someone who seems to have it all together- do we assess the situation/person before giving
• What if we are asked to give a little more than just cash; are we still open to obeying God in our giving
• Had we been in need, would we wish our treatment of others upon ourselves
And finally
• Is our giving to others motivated by their ability to give back to us
Give and it will come back to you – good measure,
pressed down,
shaken together and
running over;
Give and it will come back to you
When you give, you give to the Lord
Selah
In Christ’s love and grace . . .
