Daily Verse: Luke 6:38

“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."

 

Giving to others can be a difficult task. It requires a selfless mentality, where we are looking to the interests of another instead of just our own. Whatever it is that we are called to give…whether it be our time, our talents, or our wealth…we likely can come up with a laundry list of reasons why we should give very little or nothing at all. And we could probably justify many of the reasons not to give with pretty sound, logical reasoning that the world would nod along with in agreement…“I need to save the money for later”…”They should get a job instead of asking for handouts”…”I am just too busy with work”…”It’s a scam, that guy really is not in need”…”It’s just too inconvenient or difficult to help with that”. But what if we look at the equation from a different perspective…what if we view giving from the perspective of the one in need? The last part of the text above is likely a bit of a game changer for many when it comes to giving…the amount that we give will be the amount that we will receive. So if we give very little, then we should expect very little. It’s humbling to view the idea of giving when we actually have skin in the game…when we are the ones with our hands out looking for some help. The incredible thing about Jesus is that he healed and loved when people were at their lowest…and he didn’t just heal a little bit…healing one leg while leaving the other paralyzed…he healed completely, he loved completely, he gave completely. And he didn’t send people away to get their act together and return when they were “presentable”…no, he gave right there as the people stood, mired in their own mess. What a privilege we have to mirror this same love…to give of our blessings wholeheartedly, without hesitation, without regret, without question. And when we see the life before us change because of our generosity…when we see joy splashed across a face in need…we will come to realize that there is great joy in giving, great joy in being the hands and feet of the Lord. To God be the glory!