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. ” In Luke 6:27-36, Jesus gives a rather long discourse (as part of His sermon on the mount). In Luke's version of that portion of His teachings, Jesus speaks about the need to "love our enemies" (Luke 6:27). He commands us to pray for them, to "turn the other cheek" when they abuse us, and to be "merciful" to them—just as God is merciful to us. And, having commanded us to do all of that, Jesus then adds one more thing to the list; He adds the contents of our verse for today.
In essence, Jesus says, if your enemy "takes away your goods", be okay with it. Crazy, right?! But Jesus then goes onto explain, "Your gift will return to you in full"—No! Not just "in full"; in "overflowing measure," where there will be no "room for more," and it will be "running over." (This sounds a bit like Back to the Future, where Biff—who constantly persecuted George McFly—"Gets what's coming to him!" The downtrodden George sees the tables turned on Biff, and George becomes the wealthy employer for whom Biff works and grovels.) Of course, in today's verse, Jesus is not promising that, if you let "jerks" take advantage of you or persecute you, you'll get rich, and they'll become poor! But He is saying we should love those who hate us, bless those who curse us, and pray for those who maliciously use us. (Luke 6:27-28)
Jesus is commanding us to remember that we "use" God all of the time—and He is merciful to us, even though we don't deserve it (Luke 6:36). So, we too should be merciful to those in our lives who don't deserve it. How will all of this work itself out? Well, as they say, "God only knows!" However, what we do know is that God promises us more than we could ask or ever imagine once we get to heaven (1 Corinthians 2:9). And this passage may also mean that, as we act kind and generous, others will be more sensitive to our needs, and our enemies may have their hearts softened towards us as well.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. ” In the book of Jeremiah, the prophet Jeremiah is speaking to the Israelites at a time of great despair. They were exiled, living in Babylon, far from their homeland. Jeremiah's words were meant to offer hope and assurance during this period of upheaval. His message was not just for their immediate comfort but also to give them a perspective of a hopeful future planned by God.
This passage in Jeremiah speaks directly to the heart of encouragement, especially in the face of uncertainty and difficulty. It's a reminder that even when our current circumstances seem bleak or disheartening, there is a broader plan for good, for hope, and for a future. This can be particularly resonant for us when we face our own periods of doubt or when our path seems unclear. It's a call to trust in a greater plan that we might not fully understand yet.
