“Give and it will be given
to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be
put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be
measured back to you." - Luke 6:38
In today’s society many people want to know, “What’s in it for me?” Their carnal desires fuel their actions to attain anything that will provide them with the best possible advantage. They constantly seek an angle that gives them an edge over the next guy. Then they stab one another in the back to get ahead.
God
gave us a much simpler formula for success. Rather than to amass the treasures
of this world, He suggests that we give them away! He promises that if we do, we will
receive with the same measure for which we give to others who have legitimate
needs (Luke 6:38). If we use a teaspoon to measure our giving, we
will reap a teaspoon of rewards. If we use a ton, we will reap a ton of
blessings. We
cannot fail when we live according to God’s principles.
Hospitality
is part of God’s plan for our success. He is not asking us to rescue people who
are lazy or to enable those who live in a habitual state of irresponsibility
and unreliability. However, He does promise to greet us as blessed children and
to give us the inheritance of His Kingdom if we treat others as if He is the
one in need.
He
calls us to
feed the hungry, to provide for those without material possessions, to give a
drink to the thirsty, to visit the sick and imprisoned, and to take care of
strangers because we may be entertaining and angel without even knowing it (Matthew 25:40-45; Hebrews 12:2).
Jesus exhorts us to invite others to dinner
without concern for their social status (1 Corinthians 12:23). He says that as we
give hospitality to others, we are doing it for Him. He reminds us that the
reason we receive this world’s goods is in order to be good stewards over them
and to share them with others (1 Peter 4:10).
1 Kings 17:12-16
contains one of my favorite Bible lessons. The widow goes to the prophet for
help and he asks her to bake him some bread with her remaining supplies. Rather
than stingily hoarding her meager commodities, she liberally uses them all up to
provide for the Lord’s prophet. In return, “she and he and her household ate
for many days. The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run
dry.” As we liberally give from whatever God gives to us, we too find
everything necessary to meet all of our needs.
Compassion is the next tool in
God’s plan for our success. The language of love always triumphs over greed. Jesus
exemplifies what it means to show compassion. Repeatedly the gospels record
that “He was moved with compassion.” Jesus’ compassion eventually led Him to
His dreadful death by a Roman crucifixion.
God knows our frail humanity and views our weaknesses with compassion (Psalm 145:8-9). Peter exhorts us in his epistle to have compassion for one another, not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but blessing others so that we may inherit a blessing (1 Peter 3:8-10).
God knows our frail humanity and views our weaknesses with compassion (Psalm 145:8-9). Peter exhorts us in his epistle to have compassion for one another, not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but blessing others so that we may inherit a blessing (1 Peter 3:8-10).
Prayer:
Father God, as we show
hospitality and compassion to others, You promise to shower us with material and
spiritual blessings. You exhort us to use the abundance You give to us as
faithful stewards. You also give us strength of character to help us to make
our place in the world a better place in which to live. Your most important
gift to us is the gospel story of salvation through Jesus Christ. You desire
that we share this gift with everyone You bring our way, so that You can revitalize
every life that hears and believes Your gospel message.
Thought for the Day:
We reap what we sow. –
Galatians 6:7-9