A Good Measure
By Susan Klein
“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
One of the first Christian music artists I was exposed to as a new believer was Ron Kenoly. He sang a song called “Give to the Lord,” which included the above verse. It had a catchy tune and I often found myself singing along to the lyrics. I wasn’t really sure, though, what was meant by “a good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over.” Until one day...God showed me!By Susan Klein
“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
My husband had only been working at his job for a few years and I was now a stay-at-home-mom of a new baby. One Sunday, our pastor made a plea on behalf of a missionary couple our church supported. The wife had been diagnosed with MS and they needed to make some sizeable changes to their home to accommodate her wheelchair and other medical needs. Our pastor strongly felt the Lord calling our congregation to raise all the money for these needs. He challenged us to give sacrificially, “‘til it hurts,” he said.
As we discussed and prayed over this request, my husband and I came up with an amount. We weren’t sure how we could do without that money, but we wanted to trust in God’s provision by giving “‘till it hurt!”
A couple of weeks after we had written the check, I was looking at our budget trying to decide where we could make cuts to allow for those lacking funds. It didn’t look good! When my husband came home from an all-day work meeting, I sat down to show him my grim findings. He was smiling the whole time I talked! I finally asked, “What gives? How can you be happy about this?” He pulled out an envelope from his pocket and said he had received it at the meeting, quite unexpectedly. It was a bonus check, for the exact amount that we had committed to give to the missionaries! He had no idea he would be receiving a check that day. But God did!
For the measure we used, it was measured back to us! God blessed our giving in a way we could never have foreseen. I learned a lot from that experience…about trust, about sacrificial giving—a good measure, pressed down and shaken together—and about the Lord’s desire to bless us for our faithfulness.
Imagine our blessings if we applied this principle not only to our treasures, but our time, talents, and treatment of others as well!
GOING DEEPER:
1. In what area might God be challenging you to give “a good measure”? Are you willing to give “‘til it hurts”?
FURTHER READING:
2 Corinthians 9:6-15
Susan is a wife and mother of two. She leads a small group and teaches for Tuesday a.m. Bible Study.
