Tom Barnard

“Give, and gifts will be given you. Good measure, pressed down,

shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap;

for whatever measure you deal out to others will be dealt to you in return.”

(Luke 6:38 NEB)

Jesus said it, so it must be true. It’s a principle of life: give generously, and you will receive generously. Fail to give generously and you will cheat yourself out of a blessing. Don’t give at all, and you will be the loneliest person in town. Scrooge learned the lesson the hard way, didn’t he? But he recovered in time to receive a blessing only Tiny Tim could give—respect, and unbelievable love.

The world offers glitz instead of love. A major department store came up with a promotional pitch this week. “Buy More, Save More. Plus, get FREE SHIPPING.” And there’s more: “Take 25% off when you spend $200 to $399. Take 40% off when you spend $400 or more.” And there is even more. “Enjoy items from Theory, Hugo Boss, Joseph Abboud, Ed Hardy, Juicy Men’s, Puma (men’s stuff) and more when you spend $500 in select men’s merchandise!” Wow. Plus a free gift bag! What would happen if you spend $1,000 or more? They didn’t say. But if you use their credit card, you can earn miles as well.

I think I understand the “free shipping” angle, although I know that somebody is paying for it, and that somebody is I (or me, or whatever is grammatically correct). I just don’t understand how I can save more by spending more. Whenever I see those words I want to reply, “Sorry. I just can’t afford to save any more money.” So, let’s be honest with each other. You can’t really save by spending (unless you know someone at the U.S. Treasury).

But you can receive by giving. In fact, the more you give, the more you will receive. Jesus said it, so it must be true. And there’s even more.  Don’t you love the “good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over” idea? And best of all, it will be poured into your lap (or bosom, if you prefer the King James rendering of the Greek). And the very best thing is this: It’s no gimmick. Jesus said it, so it must be true. And you can start giving any time.

Heavenly Father, I confess that I don’t understand very well the concept of Grace. Except that I know it is not a promotional gimmick. It’s who You are, and it’s what You promise to do for those who follow You. These are tough times, Lord. Money is tight everywhere. Economists tell us to hold on rather than give away. But I know of no better place to give myself away (and the things I possess) than in the direction of the Kingdom. Suffering is happening everywhere in the world. Help me to give generously, and begin by laying on my heart the things and people that are on Your heart. I promise that I will be generous. Not so that I can receive something back from You—but because it is the right thing to do. Amen.