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."
Most people are stingy from their childhood. You often see children not sharing their toys. When a child is given a couple pieces of candy they often become very stingy and won't give the other piece away because of the desire of the flesh to keep everything for itself. Giving is not a natural desire of the flesh.
Most of the time when we hear about giving we think it has to do with money. When a pastor turns to the verse above, many listeners immediately tune him out because they don't want to hear him talk about giving their money. Yet, the verse above shows us several principles about giving that if one would apply they would find that it wouldn't be so hard to give.
First, the giving principle is not just for giving money. This is one of the most quoted verses used in sermons on giving money, but this verse applies to more than money. This verse implies that the giving principle is for any type of giving. No matter what you choose to give, whether good or bad, the giving principle applies.
Second, giving always has a return. Whatever you give, you can expect it to come back to you. If you give something good, then you can expect good to come back. If you give something evil, then you can expect to receive evil. The giving principle teaches that if you give, you will receive.
Third, giving has compounded interest. In other words, you will always receive more than what you gave. This can be scary if your giving is hurtful or evil. This can be a blessing if you are giving the right things. You must always remember that you will receive more than what you gave, so you must always ask yourself if you want more of what you are giving to come back to you.
Fourth, your reward of return is determined by your measure of giving. If you choose to give a small amount, then you will have small returns. If you choose to give larger amounts, then you will have larger returns. God uses your measuring cup to pour the blessing back to you.
I have pointed these four principles of giving out because I want you to understand that whatever you are lacking in life, you must give it to receive it. If you need friendship, then you must be a friend first. If you need love, then you must first give love. If you need kindness, then you must first give kindness. Giving is more than just giving money, it is also giving of the graces of life.
You will never have the returns in life that you want if you don't start giving. Stop complaining about others not giving you what you need if you are not first doing it. The first step is always up to you. Many people have the mentality that once they have it then they will give it. God says that if you want something then you must give it first. Giving is a test of your faith. It is a test of faith to see if you will give what little you have so God can give more in return. The widow woman first gave of her meal and oil to Elijah, then God returned the food she gave with compounded interest. We could show illustration after illustration from the Scriptures about this principle. The key is your willingness to give.
I challenge you to determine what you want in life then start giving it. Don't wait until you have it first, but take the little that you do have and give it to others. When you start giving to others, you will find the return is far greater than your giving.