You Get to Determine Your Blessing!

"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)

Did you know that God allows you and me to determine the measure of our blessing?  It’s really remarkable to think about.  You get to choose how much God blesses you!  Jesus is saying that the way we are treated in this life is in proportion to the way we treat others. This is the principle of reciprocity. He’s reminding us that we reap what we sow in the amount that we sow.  If we judge others, we will be judged.  If we forgive, we will be forgiven.  If we condemn others, we will be condemned by them.  He’s not talking about eternal judgments in this passage, but the here-and-now experience of life as we live it day in and day out.  If we live to give, Jesus said that we would receive; but if we only lived to get, we will lose even what we had.  It’s a principle that applies not only to our money but also to every other area of life. 

Think about this principle in terms of your closest relationships. If you don’t like the treatment you’re getting, it may be a good time to take a closer look at the way you are treating others.  This is a great promise to take to heart and intentionally practice in your relationships and giving.  Am I giving grace?  Am I forgiving?  Am I accepting others as God accepts me?  Do I condemn in others what I give myself grace for?  

If I want more love, I need to step up the measure of love I give to others.  The principle at work in this promise is that we can never out give God!  What a challenge.  Try it and see if He will not give back more than you could possibly imagine.  Giving could be one of the greatest evidences for the existence of God in our world as others see the manifestation of God’s blessings in your life that have no other explanation but God!