"Give and it will be given to you, good mea-
sure and pressed down, shaken together and
running over will be put into your bosom.
For with the same measure that you use, it
will be measured back to you." Luke 6:38
When our Lord speaks, it is always principle.
He not only addresses the subject at hand,
but the "Word" spoken, or written, has many
other obvious applications. He deals in Luke
6: 38 with one's action(s) and the result of
such action(s). His Word has the power and
wisdom of God within. To take a "verse" of
Scripture from the context within which it is
spoken/written, is risky, but we are safe when
we read the passage in context of the whole,
before commenting on it, so... Some Context...
In vs. 35, we find; "But love your enemies, do
good and lend, hoping for nothing in return,
and your reward will be great, and you will be
sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the
unthankful and evil."
Everything in the passages and comments
above flies in the face of the way "Christianity"
is "practiced" in established religion today. If
there were one who lived according to the wis-
dom of Scripture today, he would be appalled,
confronted with our lifestyles. Considering our
lives today, there are few manifestations of
Jesus Christ in those lives. One purpose of
Bible study is for followers of Christ to find
just how our Lord lived and taught, and to
replicate that life and message in fullness of
His Spirit. You and I are incapable of living
such a life without the power and wisdom one
is given with Christ's power and wisdom in his
life. We must have Jesus in us, His Holy Spirit,
if we are come near the place where others see
him in us, and not the glaring defects of our
lives...
In addition to giving, just what is the life of
of one who has given his life over to our Lord
to be like? We are to be like him in every way.
lives...
Our text, vs. 38, addresses the giving aspect
of a life filled with Jesus. I will merely list and
comment briefly, if it is within me, on the other
aspects of his life.
The qualities our Lord God exhibited while
on this earth cannot be covered, but we will
attempt to list a few: He was kind, merciful,
humble, considerate, thoughtful, honest, gra-
cious and just. In other words, He put others
before himself, always straight forward and
at the risk of personal harm, revealed in him-
self, the Father. The religious leaders did not
want their shabby attempts to live in a Godly
manner exposed, and showing God the Father
to them did just that. Thankfully, he paid the
cost,enduring a sacrificial death on the cross
at Mt. Calvary.
There is also the reward part. The reward of
which is spoken in Scripture is basically eter-
nal in nature, with earth applications.
While living Godly does not guarantee an
easy life on earth, there are certain rewards.
The earthly rewards are not guaranteed, but
are the natural result of living righteously,
treating every one fairly, with grace and
moderation in all things. This will, I trust
serve as an introduction to the study of
living Godly in Christ Jesus, by the power
of his Holy Spirit with the commitment to
emulate Christ in all things.
donporter,sr. 12.31.16 ed., 4.14.17...
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