Give!

Give!

Luke 6:38 KJV

[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.

At this time, Jesus had appointed the twelve disciples that He would mentor. From Luke's account, He had taken time to heal a man with a withered hand. He had also gone down with His disciples, and interacted with the crowd. He taught them about the principles and practices of His kingdom, and then He healed many who diseases or were vexed with unclean spirits. The passage from where this verse is taken records that the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went out of Him virtue, and healed them all. What a life of impact and blessing. What a life of purpose and value. At that time, it did not matter what tribe, nation, language or religion these people belonged to. There was a life to change, and Jesus did so. As it was then, so is it now. The standards have not changed or been lowered. Jesus still counts on all who come to Him to flow out with His power and presence to touch other lives. 

This is why it is instructive to note that the verse above is directed to the disciples, and not the crowd. The message to the crowd, as well as the expectations from the crowd, will always be different from that of the disciple. The crowd is permitted to get away with just about anything; not so the disciple. The crowd can get away with a lackadaisical approach to anything; not so the disciple. Jesus lifted up His eyes upon the disciples and blessed them, and of course, placed a demand on them, as proof of their standing with Him. It is the same with us today: if I have made up my mind to follow Jesus, there are expectations from the Master. One of them is laid out in the verse above. There has to be an outflow from a life that is given to Jesus. It cannot be the same as everyone else. The fundamental question to first answer with confidence and assurance is: am I a disciple, or just part of the crowd? 

If I am a disciple, then the verse above applies. I have been given a lot; in fact, I have the Jehovah Jireh as my Lord and Master, and from that which He has given me, He expects me to flow out to other people. From the spring of eternal life that has been birthed in me, there must be a point of contact that also touches other people. The more I flow out, the more God can fill up. The more of Him I reflect, the more of Him is made manifest to the world. The more of Him I show off, the more of Him is known and glorified. There is this amazing assurance that just as I give out, so will God raise men to give back to me in return. If I am all about selfish interests, be sure that there is a limit to what I will get. If I am able to flow out with God's grace, there is no limit to what God can achieve in and through me. Jesus promises refill way beyond my present capacity, but I must first flow out. With all that is going on in thw world, can I trust God to be faithful to His Word, and just obey? God's time of favour is here.