Day 62 – Using measure
“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 6:39
With these words, Jesus invites us to live with open hands, free from the fear that generosity will leave us empty. He assures us that we will never be the loser when we choose to give.
While this truth certainly applies to our material finances (you simply cannot out-give God), the heart of Jesus’ message here reaches much deeper. The primary focus in this passage is on the lavish giving of love, blessing, and forgiveness. When we extend these grace-filled gifts after the pattern of God’s generosity, He ensures our hearts are poured back into until they overflow.
William Barclay highlights the vivid image Jesus uses when He speaks of what will be “put into your bosom.” In ancient times, people wore a long, loose robe tied with a girdle at the waist. By pulling the fabric up slightly, the bosom of the robe formed an oversized pocket used to carry goods. In modern terms, Jesus is telling us that when we give generously, God will see to it that our pockets are overflowing.
This brings us to the foundational principle of Jesus’ teaching: “With the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” God measures back to us according to the same standard we apply to others. This serves as a profound motivation to be remarkably generous with our mercy and goodness. If we desire an abundance of love and forgiveness from God, we must freely sow those very things into the lives of those around us.
So often, where we fail is not in having a standard, but in our hypocritical application of it. We easily slip into judging others by a strict rule of perfection while judging ourselves by a curve of leniency. The rabbis in Jesus’ day taught that God possessed two distinct measures for humanity: a measure of justice and a measure of mercy. Whichever measure we choose to use on those around us is the exact measure God will use with us. May we always choose mercy!
Pray with me: Lord Jesus, give me a generous and open heart that gives freely without fear of loss. Guard me against double standards and hypocrisy, and help me to extend the same lavish mercy and forgiveness to others that You have so graciously poured into my life. Amen. ©
Love, Iriza
