Giving as Our Father Gives

"Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. Give and you will receive. Your gift will return to you--pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap."  (Luke 6:37-38)

God gives good gifts. He gives because He loves us. When we ask God for things, we believe He is merciful and gracious. We believe He will give us what we need because of who He is--our generous, loving Father who wants to shower us with blessings.

God wants us to be like Him. He wants us to give as He gives. That's one of the reasons Jesus came. He came to establish God's Kingdom among us--within us. He gives us the Spirit to empower us to be more than we can be on our own. He gives us many things, but ultimately He gives us Himself. He gives us His Heart.

The question is, do we live like it? Are we living as those who have been empowered to live beyond ourselves? Are we living as these verses in Luke describe? Are we judging and condemning others? Are we forgiving? Are we giving generously? These commands may seem impossible to keep, but they're not. Jesus told us to live this way, not as a suggestion or an impossible demand, but as a way of life that is vital to our being. We will never live fully in His abundance otherwise.

One reason we don't live this way is because we see other people and our circumstances as a threat to our survival. We feel the need to protect ourselves and provide for ourselves. We forget every blessing we have comes from God. We forget He will always give us what we need. We don't trust Him to care for us, so we attempt to care for ourselves. We protect our hearts and our beliefs and our time and our bank accounts. But God can do all of that so much better. When we listen and believe and trust: He takes care of the rest.

"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." (Matt. 6:33)

"Give and you will receive. Your gift will return to you."  His promise: We can give without fear. Our love, our time, a kind word, an act of acceptance or forgiveness, our talents, our worldly goods--none of it will be given in vain. God will always take care of us and give us what we need. We can trust Him on that.

From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.  (John 1:16)

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.  All rights reserved