Context is king
“give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.””
Luke 6:38 ESV
Here we have the religious money mongers favorite verse. They use this verse WAY OUT OF CONTEXT all the time. Using it to convince the poor that they need to give money to their ministry and God will make them wealthy beyond their wildest imagination!
But, when we read the verse before we see it says… ““Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;”
Luke 6:37 ESV
So we see in context, Jesus is talking about judging others. He’s talking about condemnation and forgiveness. He is NOT talking about money. Jesus is telling us to be careful and mindful of how we treat people. If we live our lives always going around judging others we will receive the same. If show others love, grace and mercy, we will receive the same back.
Have any of us ever said… “I cannot forgive that person for what they did to me”? Maybe we’ve never said it verbally but, I know the vast majority of us have felt it in our hearts! Could we imagine if Jesus would have said “I cannot forgive” from the cross rather than saying “Forgive them Father, they don’t know what they are doing.”
Now, before I cause a ruckus, I’m not saying to quit giving offerings to your church. I’m saying don’t take scripture out of context. If you give monetarily to your church or any other ministry, do it with a joyful heart. Give it without expectations of receiving anything back. Especially some type of monetary windfall. There is only one thing we can give that will assure us riches. And that is the giving of our hearts over to Jesus Christ. That then allows us to be reconciled to the One that owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10)
Yes, there’s a way that surpasses the riches of money! His name is Jesus and His love is all the riches we need!
Love ya,
Pastor Don