Luke 6:38 (New International Version)
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.
During times of hardship, it is easy to feel that your resources are stretched to the limit. You may feel lack in your life in many areas (e.g., time, money, forgiveness, rest). This feeling of lack can be intensified for parents who are caring for a child with illness or other specific needs. The scripture from Luke is a wonderful visual picture of the abundance of God. I am often tempted to feel lack, rather than abundance, in my circumstances. I may feel like curling up and hoarding everything I have, trying not to lose anything else.
I have learned to focus on God’s abundance, rather than my lack. I have also learned to trust His abundance. At times, this requires a specific and determined decision of the will. It requires me to live in the opposite spirit—opposite to my feelings of lack or poverty. It is generally when I start to curl up and hang onto things too tightly that I realize my heart needs to trust God. I need to cultivate a living faith in His provision, His good heart, and His abundant resources. I must decide to give in good measure, and believe that it will be returned to me in good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, poured into my lap!
1. Have you ever been tempted to live by clinging to what you are afraid to lose? What are signals to you in your life that this is happening?
2. In what ways have you tried to cultivate an opposite spirit? How has giving something away left you more filled up?
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