22^nd November 2010

SEEDS FOR HARVESTING 5/43

Luke 6:38
"Give, and it will be given you. A good measure,
pressed down, shaken together and running over."

These words of Jesus follow His teaching about
judging, condemning and forgiving.
Then follows this passage of hope and joy.
God never does things in half measure.

The message of our day is to
take much and give little in return.
The sin of our age is greed.
Jesus says "lend expecting nothing in return".

Jesus is saying to us
that God is always generous and
goes the extra mile in His giving.
This does not mean that
God waits for us first to give,
then He share His generosity with us.
It's all about our attitude in our giving.

Do we give spontaneously, without expecting a return?
When we received a "love gift" from the Papuans
the custom was that you give a more valuable gift in return.

Jesus warns about hypocritical giving,
and uses the hypocrite in the Temple
as an example for us.
He says "Do not let your left hand know
what your right hand is doing,
so that your giving may be in secret."
Its all about spontaneous giving.

Paul says that we should not give
"reluctantly or under compulsion,
for God loves a cheerful giver."

Bob Imms 21.11.10