Luke 6:38, commentary and pictures

Giving is met with giving in return, and the size of the gift given decides the size of the gift received, returned in full and overflowing abundance through others. It stands among calls to be merciful like the Father, to refuse judging and condemning, and to forgive, letting mercy and love rule all dealings with others. It makes helping the poor and every brother in distress a plain duty, to be met with real mercy at every opportunity. Freely passing on what is entrusted wherever God's cause or human need calls does not lead to poverty but multiplies blessing like seed scattered by the sower, so faithful givers keep having enough to keep giving. Sharing what is received from God enlarges the power to receive more, bringing deeper knowledge of God and fresh grace, while always taking in and never giving out destroys the power to receive.

Promise and Its Measure

Giving is met with giving in return, and the measure used in giving determines the measure received. What is given comes back in generous and abundant measure, so that generous giving is repaid with abundance and those who distribute what is entrusted have enough to keep giving. Care for the poor is repaid in this way, liberal gifts for God's work are encouraged by this promise, and the use of possessions and property to do good is shown to be a sure principle of gain that lays up lasting treasure.

The return is full, abundant and overflowing, pressed down and shaken together and running over. It is given into the bosom, measured back in full and overflowing measure, with men as the means by which it is given back. Giving to meet the needs of others is thus joined with the promise to supply what is needed and to increase for still more free giving.

The promise belongs with being merciful as the Father is merciful, and with judging not, condemning not, and forgiving. It calls for giving and mercy rather than condemnatory speech, for forgiveness and giving are met with a return measured by the same standard. Dealings with one another are to be controlled by mercy and love, every opportunity to help a brother in distress is to be improved with real and genuine mercy, and by cherishing these principles a person becomes complete. Condemnatory speech endangers both the speaker's and others' salvation, making giving a plain duty and a cherished principle because the need of many calls for genuine mercy.

Law of Increase

Continual imparting of what is entrusted wherever the cause of God or human need requires does not tend to poverty but multiplies blessing, just as a sower multiplies seed by casting it away. Faithful distributors increase their blessings by imparting and receive a full return so that they have enough to keep giving. God supplies what is needed and gives abundance so that people can continue doing good, giving generously and helping the poor, with the return matching the measure of the giving. What is given to meet others' needs is measured back in full and overflowing measure, joined with increase of the fruits of righteousness so that people can give still more freely.

Money is lent by God to be put into circulation to benefit and bless others, who in turn will benefit others, and under His blessing it steadily increases and multiplies itself instead of being locked up where it helps no one. The same law governs unselfish work, for intelligence and knowledge of God are increased by using tact and skill for others, and as people become channels of usefulness God supplies the increase. Sharing what is received from God increases the capacity to receive more, so that imparting the love and truth of Christ brings richer experience of them and a deeper knowledge of God. Each revelation of God increases the capacity to know and love Him, and the language of overflowing measure describes the Spirit's gifts and this growing capacity. Where life exists there is increase and growth through constant interchange of taking and giving out, receiving and returning to the Lord His own, with light and blessing received given out again in work for others. As the believer shares what has been received, capacity for receiving is increased and room is made for fresh currents of grace and truth to flow into the soul from the living fountain, bringing greater light and increased knowledge and blessing, and this work belongs to every church member as the life and growth of the church. A life of ever receiving and never giving soon loses the blessing, for if truth does not flow out to others the power to receive is lost, so the goods of heaven must be imparted in order to have fresh blessings.

Those who become channels of God's grace to the world receive His recompense and a rich return, as illustrated where hills and plains that let a mountain stream flow toward the sea receive its gift back many times over in beauty and fruitfulness left along the river's course. Time, strength, intellect and means all belong to God and are lent to men and women to be improved by use and returned to Him in helping those around them, and those who so use these gifts become channels of usefulness to whom God gives increase. Those blessed yet refusing to help the needy rob God and will be called to account for neglect of the needy and suffering. Generosity operates as a law of action and reaction in which giving to those in need blesses them and blesses the giver even more, so that beneficence is twice blessed.

Giving in Practice

The promise belongs especially to giving to the poor, for what is given for Christ enriches the giver and comes back in abundant measure determined by the measure used in giving. In every case of a brother in distress mercy and the love of God must rule, and every opportunity to help him must be improved with real, genuine mercy. Giving to the needy brings a return in full, abundant measure, and caring for them is a plain duty and a principle to be cherished because the need of many calls for genuine mercy. This law of giving stands together with being merciful as the Father is merciful, judging not, condemning not, and forgiving, and by cherishing these principles a person becomes complete in Christ.

Generous giving is met with generous return, pictured as a full measure pressed down, shaken together, and overflowing, and the promise encourages liberal gifts for God's work. As people give liberally of the Lord's entrusted means to meet the pressing and advancing needs of the work, they receive in return and learn by experience that imparting brings receiving. Those who give to the advancing work are blessed by God opening the way before them to receive more to impart, so that constant imparting leads to constantly receiving more to impart, for God gives to givers so they may give again to others.

Giving to others brings a generous return from others in abundant measure, with the measure used in giving becoming the measure returned. Using property and resources to do good lays up lasting treasure in heaven and helps secure eternal riches. Giving what one has for the gospel, as in giving the use of a boat for ministry, is richly repaid, for God supplies the needs of those He calls to leave all for His work. Every sacrifice made in His ministry will be recompensed according to the exceeding riches of His grace.

Hearty, unselfish work in soul-saving brings an overflowing return. Those cleansed and sanctified through Bible truth who give themselves to saving souls drink daily from the inexhaustible fountain of grace and knowledge until their own hearts are filled to overflowing with the Spirit of their Master. Their giving benefits others physically, mentally, and spiritually, refreshing the weary, restoring the sick to health, relieving the sin-burdened, and turning hearts in far-off countries from sin to righteousness with thanksgiving. Giving is to be done with assurance that it will be returned, and this giving belongs with exalting and praising God for His wonderful and faithful counsels and for His care as strength to the poor, refuge from the storm, and shelter to the needy in distress. Applied to the use of possessions, giving to others rather than striving to become rich is a sure principle of gain.