37 “Don’t judge,
and you won’t be judged.
Don’t condemn,
and you won’t be condemned.
“Forgive,
and you will be forgiven.
38 Give,
and you will receive gifts —
the full measure, compacted, shaken together and overflowing, will be put right in your lap. For the measure with which you measure out will be used to measure back to you!”
2nd Week of LentThe measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you. (Luke 6:38)
The Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore once told a story about a beggar who was picking up grains of corn along the streets when the king approached in a golden carriage. Dumbfounded, the man hoped to receive riches. The king, however, held out his hand and asked the beggar what he had to give him! Confused and unsure of himself, the beggar took out the smallest grain of corn he had and handed it to the king. At the end of the day, when he emptied his bag, he was surprised to find a tiny grain of gold in the heap.
“I bitterly wept,” the beggar moans, “and wished that I had had the heart to give thee my all.” He regrets his “small-heartedness,” for it meant he was able to receive only a little in return.
Maybe we can relate: time is limited, money is tight, and our hearts are guarded. But God nevertheless asks us to open our hearts wide to our neighbors. He wants us to pass along the blessings we have received from him with the same generosity with which he first gave them to us. He tells us that if we give a little, we will receive a little in return. But if we give as much as we have received, we will be given even more. Our God is never outdone in generosity!
How is God holding out his hand to you? Maybe he’s waiting to see you share your plate with the hungry or relieve someone’s loneliness or extend forgiveness. In all of these, we can imitate Jesus, who withheld nothing from his Father—and nothing from us.
So imagine your reaction at the end of your journey when you see how generous God has been with your offerings: “So much treasure for the little bit I gave?” Now imagine how much more he could do if you gave just a little bit more!
“Father, may the wonder of your mercy open my heart to receive all that you have to give me!” Amen!
Daniel 9:4 I prayed to Adonai my God and made this confession:
“Please, Adonai, great and fearsome God, who keeps his covenant and extends grace to those who love him and observe his mitzvot! 5 We have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled and turned away from your mitzvot and rulings. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our leaders, our ancestors and to all the people of the land.
7 “To you, Adonai, belongs righteousness; but to us today belongs shame — to us, the men of Y’hudah, the inhabitants of Yerushalayim and all Isra’el, including those nearby and those far away, throughout all the countries where you have driven them; because they broke faith with you. 8 Yes, Adonai, shame falls on us, our kings, our leaders and our ancestors; because we sinned against you. 9 It is for Adonai our God to show compassion and forgiveness, because we rebelled against him. 10 We didn’t listen to the voice of Adonai our God, so that we could live by his laws, which he presented to us through his servants the prophets.
Psalm 79:8 Don’t count past iniquities against us,
but let your compassion come quickly to meet us,
for we have been brought very low.
9 Help us, God of our salvation,
for the sake of the glory of your name.
Deliver us, forgive our sins,
for your name’s sake.
11 Let the groaning of the captives come before you;
by your great strength save those condemned to death.
13 Then we, your people and the flock in your pasture,
will give you thanks forever.
From generation to generation
we will proclaim your praise.
____________________________
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