Give...Forgive...Receive

~~~ Daniel 9:4b-10 ~~~ Psalm 79 ~~~ Luke 6:36-38 ~~~

Give and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, packed together, 
shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.

Generosity...
The truth is that when we are giving to others
we are not thinking about ourselves.
Giving to others requires that you
focus on the other, even if just for a short time.

It is easy to give if we are not trying to judge at the same time.
Is it possible to give without judging?
Do we automatically judge before we make the decision to give?
These are tough personal questions.
Some give for their own greater glory...
wanting to be held in higher esteem for their giving.
This is not the manner in which Jesus speaks of giving.

Jesus gave of himself every day.
The genuine gift of giving should be without
 expectations of personal returns.
Jesus is saying that what we receive
will be based on what we give.

It is worth noting that in this passage forgiveness is closely linked to giving.
This is interesting since the more you are willing to forgive
 the greater gift you are really giving yourself.

While this is not a post on forgiveness
we see it here paired in the same breath with giving.

It is good for us to consider, during this time of Lent,
 just how generous God has been to us.

His generosity has preceded our generosity in all instances.
His advice today is about how he expects us to be generous to others.

What he gives us is so incredible that it is overflowing,
spilling onto our laps...running down to the floor.

How can we be blind to the benefits of giving?

Scrooge had to have a near death experience before his heart was opened.
What will it take for us to realize the gift in giving?

The best way we can thank God for his generosity with us
 is to do likewise for others.

Be more generous from this day forward
 and experience this overflowing of grace from God.

Forgiven and Blessed.
Pass it on!
Peace.

Consider Yourself Blessed

~~~ Joel 4:12-21 ~~~ Psalm 97 ~~~ Luke 11:27-28 ~~~

 

Jesus defines true Blessedness.

Blessedness......Happiness.

 

At an initial reading it seems Jesus is being irreverent

 to his own mother, Mary.

But in further research we see this is definitely not the case.

Mary is referred to as blessed in several other verses.

Mary is the woman who carried the Word in her womb.

She brought Jesus into the world.

She was chosen by God as a pure holy vessel for his Son.

Mary knew she was blessed from the time the angel spoke to her.

Jesus does not need to defend the blessedness of his mother. 

 

While Jesus was speaking,
a woman from the crowd called out and said to him,
“Blessed is the womb that carried you
and the breasts at which you nursed.”
He replied, “Rather, blessed are those
who hear the word of God and observe it.”

This woman was calling out a complement to Jesus and to his mother.
Jesus' response was extending the blessing beyond his mother.

Jesus is saying that those who hear the word of God

and obey it; they too are blessed.

Being blessed is something available to each of us.

Yes, we are included in those who hear and act.

 

It is one thing to be blessed because you are the mother of Mary;

 it is another to be granted the equivalent

for living what you heard.

 

 

Jesus extends his blessing to us.

Have you stopped to count your blessings lately?

Are your blessings a source of joy?

 

Mary was blessed with Jesus, but we can be just as blessed.

God knows what we need to be blessed in our life.

Trust that he is providing those blessings to you daily.
Can you identify them?

 

Jesus answers the woman in the crowd without

embarrassing her by his response.

He is telling her she too can share in the same flow of blessings

as the one who birthed and nursed him.

We are called into the family of God.
He blesses us let us be glad and rejoice.
It is only in God that we can find our joy and our rest.
It is precisely because God chooses to bless us that
we have any joy in our lives.