Open Your Hand

 By Andrea Merrell

 

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 6:38 NKJV

 

 

You could watch it happen whenever it came time for the offering. His body stiffened. His hands clenched together. He almost broke out in a cold sweat. Once the plate went past him, he visibly relaxed … and sometimes even smiled.

 

What a shame that the very thought of giving sends some people into a panic. The world screams at us to hold on to what we have. Look out for number one. Let everyone else look out for themselves.

 

But the Bible tells us the opposite. Give. Why? Because it will be given back to us. And what comes back to us—from the Lord—will depend on the measure we used when we gave. Give a teaspoon full, get back a teaspoon full. Give a bushel full, get back the same.

 

It’s a paradox that doesn’t make sense to our natural, carnal minds. Chris Tiegreen says, “The key to getting is giving.” And it doesn’t only work with finances. The same spiritual principle applies to love, joy, peace, acceptance, friendship, and anything else you might have need of. It’s a matter of sowing and reaping. Sow not, reap not.

 

As followers of Christ, we should be generous with whatever the Lord blesses us with. Being tightfisted, like the man in church, is like putting our seed in a box instead of in the ground and still expecting a great harvest.

 

Our God is a good God. A covenant-keeping God. A man of His Word. He desires to bless us far beyond our wildest imagination. All He asks is our trust and obedience.

 

The next time the plate comes around or you are prompted to give, go ahead. Give. Open your hand. Be generous. Sow with a grateful heart because God loves a cheerful giver.

 

 Photo by averie woodard on Unsplash

 Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and Stuart Miles.)

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As followers of Christ, we should be generous with whatever the Lord blesses us with. via @AndreaMerrell (Click to tweet.)

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