Your Measure of Giving

Your return is measured by the measure IN WHICH you give, not the amount of your gift.

Text for Today – Luke 6:38 – Give, and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

Stop right where you are.  In all likelihood, you are probably NOT considering the key element of giving in our Text for Today.  This is one of God’s major laws of reciprocity.  And make no mistake about it, it IS a law.  It works every time we put it to work.  Too often, however, we’re not looking at all the right factors to which your faith should be applied in this verse. 

When you give, truly believing, based on this passage, what is the primary factor affecting your return?  I have found that most people consider the primary factor to be the amount of their gift.  If that’s the way it has been with you, you’re looking at the wrong factor.  So, look again.

Our passage does NOT say your return is based upon what you give, though that does indeed have some influence on your return.  The primary factor of your return on investment (ROI) is this case is the MEASURE you use for your giving. 

When my wife bakes something, the recipe will call for a certain amount of flour or sugar.  The amount is not what she uses to measure it.  To measure it, she uses a measuring cup.  Whether she needs ¼ cup, ½ cup, or one cup, she uses a measuring cup.  In giving, it is not the volume you give, but the volume in which you gave it that will determine your return.

What are you using to measure out your giving?  If you’re using the amount you give, your return will be limited.  Regardless of the amount you give, or what you give, give it with a boundless measure.  You see, the God we serve is able to make all grace abound toward you.  He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all you ask or think.  If the dollar you give is the measure you use for giving it, then the dollar you give will be the measure by which the return comes to you.  But if the dollar you give is given in a measure as deep and voluminous as your love for the Lord, then the measure by which your return will come to you is as deep and voluminous as your love for the Lord.  It is easily understood that you can only give as you are able, as the Lord has blessed you.  But once again, regardless of the amount, why limit the volume of your measure.

Manna for Today – Malachi 3:8-12; Psalm 19:17; Mark 10:29-30; John 3:34 (Amplified Bible);   Ephesians 3:20