Give and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over shall men give unto your bosom. Luke 6:38
This is one of those verses that tend to get memorized early in a Christian walk. I've known it for years. What follows are some musings on this verse as I meditated it during one of my runs. (side note - still not sure I can call what I do running :) Still doing it by faith though).
Give: this is my job, and actually the only job for me in this verse. I can give every day - time, money, kindness, help, words...I also give what I have to give. It doesn't have to have lots of zeros or get on the 6:00 news to be a gift. My job is to give what I can, when I can, and do it with the right heart.
And it shall be given unto you: here I receive - simple.
Good measure: a good measure is a couple things. It can be a lot. Lots of gold coins is a good measure. A hand full of pennies not so much so. It could also be just the right amount. A good measure of something will make the recipe, pay the bill, put gas in the car, build a house, etc. If I need 2 gallons of paint to paint my bedroom and I have 1.5 gallons - that is not a good measure.
Pressed down: Having recently turned veggie (another blog topic, I'm sure) I know that when you use tofu it is recommended that you press the water out of the block. Pressing releases things and creates a better product.
Shaken together: I have been baking bread. I was always taught that when you measure flour you shouldn't shake it down in the measuring cup because that will pack it down and you will have too much! I would a little "too much" in some areas of my life!
Running over: What would you like to "run over" in your life? Money? Jobs? Love? Patience? Laughter? Running over is the ultimate gift. I have enough for me and I can give the run over away. Kind of like living off the interest.
And so the cycle repeats itself. If I can begin to invest in giving - at every level - I can begin to receive at every level.
Here's to giving!