“But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you…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.” Luke 6:27-31,38
There is a counter-intuitive side to living for Christ. It goes against the flow of what we would think and feel. It defies logic and convention. Jesus was constantly challenging his followers to live life in ways that, left to themselves,would never have thought. Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you (Mt. 5:44). If you want to be great, serve (Luke 22:27). If you want to live, you must first die (Mt. 16:24). Counter-intuitive. And yet to the believer who follows these thoughts have transformed our lives and taken us to a whole new level of freedom, joy and power in life.
In these verses, Jesus gives us another counter-intuitive challenge – “Give and it will be given to you”. Jesus is not advocating becoming a doormat that others can manipulate and manage. He is insisting that there are certain things that simply are not important in life. There are some things in life that are of little or no value in keeping, but of great value in giving. First, Jesus says there is no value in holding onto an opinion but great freedom in treating all people with equal honor. Our judgment of people is irrelevant considering that there is only one judge (James 4:12). Second he says that is no value in holding a grudge but great power in forgiveness (Col. 3:13). In fact, it is in the context of this passage that Jesus cites the Golden Rule – “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” In doing so, Jesus say we fulfill all the requirements of God (Mt. 7:12).
In his third counter-intuitive challenge, he insists that there is no value in holding on to material things but great value in generosity. In fact he begins to talk about a “standard of measure”. Normally when some talk about measuring things the issue is equality or fairness. Not so with God. The return for our generosity is greater generosity from God. God has a tendency to overflow in his responses to us. He overflows in His favor (Ps. 23:5), His grace (Rm. 5:13), hope (Rm. 15:13), joy (2 Cor. 8:2) and love (1 Jn. 3:1). The Bible also say that he overflows in his return to us when we give.
Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. Pr. 3:9,10
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. Mal. 3:10
Let’s face it. You can’t out-give God. As the owner of all things (Ps. 24:1), God has an endless supply to give. There is no need for us to be a people of fear when it comes to giving, for we are not a people of fear. We are a people of faith. We have a God that loves us, knows our needs and is able to immeasurably give more than we could ever ask, expect or even imagine (Eph. 3:20-21). Make the decision today to trust God and be generous.
Generosity Challenge (Day 15) –Go to www.generositysummit.com. Click on the media page and watch the Malawi Miracle, the Nelson Family and the single moms videos. Thank God for the generosity of His people. Ask Him what you should do.
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