Luke 6:37-38 (KJV)
37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
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.

The hardest thing to give is your time more so than money. There are individuals that teach Luke 6:38 as if it was talking about money, I submit to you that it is not! At the end of verse 37 is a semi-colon indicating a continuation of thought. Which leads to another misinterpretation of Scripture: judging.
To judge is to make a determination about a person, thing, or situation. If you don’t judge you cannot make a decision. Verse 38 concludes: “ For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” Do you see the period at the end of the sentence? Sandwiched in between “Judge not” (verse 37) and “with the same measure” (verse 38) is “Give”. What are we giving? Let’s go back a few more verses.

Luke 6:30-36 (KJV)
30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.
31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.
33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.
34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

There is a bigger picture! We are to give love and mercy; we are to give of ourselves even when we are being wronged. But don’t let yourself be bullied or let people take advantage of you.(Ephesians 4:26)
You don’t have to respond in a demonic way just as other people do. And, you do not have to treat other people poorly just because you believe you are not being treated justly.

I submit to you that the best time to show the love of God is when you are going through a difficult times, this is also a time when you are revealing to yourself how much you trust Him. It is written: “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.” If you give of yourself despite what you are going through, WITH a positive demeanor, God will give to you. BUT YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE HIS WORD IS TRUE.
I know of many individuals who give ten percent plus offerings to their church, they also give to the special offerings and they are sad, angry, and or struggling financially. These individuals have opportunities to help other people using their talents outside of the church’s outreach ministry, where no one but God will see their actions, and they refuse.

Matthew 6:3-4 (KJV)
3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
Matthew 6:17-18 (KJV)
17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

Some things are between you and God. Let me write that again: SOME THINGS ARE BETWEEN YOU AND GOD. Challenge yourself and give, the Holy Spirit will give you an opportunity to do so. Call or visit an elderly family member, donate to a shelter, give a homeless person a Bible and $5, pray for a stranger in the middle of the parking lot in broad daylight (as the Spirit leads you). Play a game with your children without lecturing them, have a cup of coffee and conversation with your spouse and listen without interruption, giving begins at home. Start anonymous giving even when you don’t feel like it and watch God move on those unspoken prayer request!
AND STOP NAMING IT AND CLAIMING IT! Let God be God, he knows what you need.
Philippians 4:17-19 (KJV)
17 Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.
18 But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.
19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Written by Marsha L Floyd
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED