Luke 6:38 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.
Oh Friends, it’s another bright, bountiful, beautiful day, chocked full of God’s wonderful mercies! So let’s rise and shine and greet it with much enthusiasm and faith, for we know that it will turn out great. It just has to, cause we’re alive and brimming over with hope. And once you’ve put on your battle gear, let’s go out and do as Jesus directs: ‘Give,’ of our hearts, money, time and knowledge. Now here’s a quote that expands on Jesus’ directive. ‘It is well to give when asked, but it is better to give when unasked through understanding.’ Oh Friends, what wise and powerful advice from Kahlil Gibran. It’s good to give if we’re asked, but it’s always so much more edifying, enlightening and soul building when we see a need and fill it without being asked. That shows the real Spirit of Jesus within us mih people. Jesus asked others what they needed, merely to publicly display their faith and aid in building His earthly Church, but through His Divine powers He always knew their needs. We, on the other hand, don’t always know what others need, especially when we encounter either those too proud or too sacred to ask for help. However, the important point here Friends is that we should give, always be on the lookout for ways to give. What’s the saying? Live to give. Our lives should be structured around giving. For it’s just like sowing; the more you sow, the more you’ll reap. Jesus didn’t beat about the bush; He spelled it right out for us. ‘Give, and it shall be given unto you.’ It’s a simple, but true and powerful statement. It’s how our God set up His universe. Sol puts it this way. ‘He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.’ (Prov.19:17) The only problem Friends is that today our society has become so selfish and self-centred that giving is frowned upon, scorned in too many areas of our lives. It’s certainly sad that in the midst of plenty and marvellous technological inventions, there are more needy people than ever. It’s reached such epidemic proportions that charity and charitable giving have now become big business. Sadly though, fraud is playing such a big part in it that people are becoming increasingly reluctant to give of what little they have. And you really can’t blame them, since recently so many fraudulent supposedly charitable schemes have been exposed. It certainly makes you shake your head in sad bewilderment. Then we wonder why we’re becoming such a cold and heartless society. But it’s all a part of the equation, for when we see others living high on the charitable avails, it doesn’t do anything but harden our hearts, and consequently makes it more difficult for the genuine ones to raise funds. However my brethren, though we have to be careful how we dispense our hard earned assets, it’s still our bounden duty as believers, as followers of Christ to make giving a serious part of our lives, beginning with our tithes to God’s Church. Remember Jacob’s vow when his father Isaac sent him to Padan-aran to find a wife of his own people and he was afraid along the way? He vowed that if the Lord looked after him and brought him back to his father’s house safely, ‘then the Lord shall be my God…and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.’ (Gen.28:21-22) So we’ve got to start with giving to our God. He comes first in all we do. And listen to Sol again. ‘He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.’ (Prov.28:27) So please, let’s not get turned off by the numerous pleas for help, many of them illegal and fraudulent, and just remember what Jesus said, that if we give, it will be given to us; ‘good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom (pocket).’ Wow Friends! Yuh see how much of whatever we give will be returned to us: generous helpings, packed tightly together, like a bag of salt or sugar. You can shake and press it down so even more will fit in the container, then it’ll just keep flowing over. ‘For with the same measure that ye mete (use) withal it shall be measured unto you again.’ Yes my people, it’s the same old philosophy of life; whatever we give out, we’ll get back. So if we give generously, we’ll reap generously. If we give grudgingly and sparingly, then we’ll reap the same. As James says: ‘For he shall have judgement without mercy, that hath showed no mercy, and mercy rejoiceth against (triumphs over) judgement.’ (James 2:13)That’s just the way of life my people. It’s like the boomerang story; what goes around, comes around. So if we want to receive, then we have to give. If we want to receive a lot, then we have to give a lot. And if we want to receive good things, then we have to give good things, cause we can’t sow corn and expect to reap peas. But before we close Friends, one word of caution on giving. Please, when we give, don’t do it to show off, or afterwards boast about it. Remember Jesus’ words on the matter. ‘Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.’ (Mat. 6:1) Please, don’t let us be like the hypocrite Pharisees, who only gave to look good in the public eye, not from a genuine heart. ‘But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms (charitable deed) may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.’ (Mat. 6:3-4) Much LOVE mih people!…a truly generous soul…is a godly soul…and finds much favour in heaven…
Oh Friends, it’s another bright, bountiful, beautiful day, chocked full of God’s wonderful mercies! So let’s rise and shine and greet it with much enthusiasm and faith, for we know that it will turn out great. It just has to, cause we’re alive and brimming over with hope. And once you’ve put on your battle gear, let’s go out and do as Jesus directs: ‘Give,’ of our hearts, money, time and knowledge. Now here’s a quote that expands on Jesus’ directive. ‘It is well to give when asked, but it is better to give when unasked through understanding.’ Oh Friends, what wise and powerful advice from Kahlil Gibran. It’s good to give if we’re asked, but it’s always so much more edifying, enlightening and soul building when we see a need and fill it without being asked. That shows the real Spirit of Jesus within us mih people. Jesus asked others what they needed, merely to publicly display their faith and aid in building His earthly Church, but through His Divine powers He always knew their needs. We, on the other hand, don’t always know what others need, especially when we encounter either those too proud or too sacred to ask for help. However, the important point here Friends is that we should give, always be on the lookout for ways to give. What’s the saying? Live to give. Our lives should be structured around giving. For it’s just like sowing; the more you sow, the more you’ll reap. Jesus didn’t beat about the bush; He spelled it right out for us. ‘Give, and it shall be given unto you.’ It’s a simple, but true and powerful statement. It’s how our God set up His universe. Sol puts it this way. ‘He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.’ (Prov.19:17) The only problem Friends is that today our society has become so selfish and self-centred that giving is frowned upon, scorned in too many areas of our lives. It’s certainly sad that in the midst of plenty and marvellous technological inventions, there are more needy people than ever. It’s reached such epidemic proportions that charity and charitable giving have now become big business. Sadly though, fraud is playing such a big part in it that people are becoming increasingly reluctant to give of what little they have. And you really can’t blame them, since recently so many fraudulent supposedly charitable schemes have been exposed. It certainly makes you shake your head in sad bewilderment. Then we wonder why we’re becoming such a cold and heartless society. But it’s all a part of the equation, for when we see others living high on the charitable avails, it doesn’t do anything but harden our hearts, and consequently makes it more difficult for the genuine ones to raise funds. However my brethren, though we have to be careful how we dispense our hard earned assets, it’s still our bounden duty as believers, as followers of Christ to make giving a serious part of our lives, beginning with our tithes to God’s Church. Remember Jacob’s vow when his father Isaac sent him to Padan-aran to find a wife of his own people and he was afraid along the way? He vowed that if the Lord looked after him and brought him back to his father’s house safely, ‘then the Lord shall be my God…and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.’ (Gen.28:21-22) So we’ve got to start with giving to our God. He comes first in all we do. And listen to Sol again. ‘He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.’ (Prov.28:27) So please, let’s not get turned off by the numerous pleas for help, many of them illegal and fraudulent, and just remember what Jesus said, that if we give, it will be given to us; ‘good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom (pocket).’ Wow Friends! Yuh see how much of whatever we give will be returned to us: generous helpings, packed tightly together, like a bag of salt or sugar. You can shake and press it down so even more will fit in the container, then it’ll just keep flowing over. ‘For with the same measure that ye mete (use) withal it shall be measured unto you again.’ Yes my people, it’s the same old philosophy of life; whatever we give out, we’ll get back. So if we give generously, we’ll reap generously. If we give grudgingly and sparingly, then we’ll reap the same. As James says: ‘For he shall have judgement without mercy, that hath showed no mercy, and mercy rejoiceth against (triumphs over) judgement.’ (James 2:13)That’s just the way of life my people. It’s like the boomerang story; what goes around, comes around. So if we want to receive, then we have to give. If we want to receive a lot, then we have to give a lot. And if we want to receive good things, then we have to give good things, cause we can’t sow corn and expect to reap peas. But before we close Friends, one word of caution on giving. Please, when we give, don’t do it to show off, or afterwards boast about it. Remember Jesus’ words on the matter. ‘Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.’ (Mat. 6:1) Please, don’t let us be like the hypocrite Pharisees, who only gave to look good in the public eye, not from a genuine heart. ‘But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms (charitable deed) may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.’ (Mat. 6:3-4) Much LOVE mih people!…a truly generous soul…is a godly soul…and finds much favour in heaven…
SCRIP-BITS 