Give and Receive
Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Luke 6:38
Serving the Lord produces a giving heart within us that seeks to help others. Giving may consist of giving our time to minister to others or using our finances to help the church and foreign missionaries. What the Lord wants are Christians who have a giving heart and a desire to help people, especially those in his church.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship (Romans 12:1). A heart filled with the Lord’s love overcomes selfish desires of the flesh and helps Christians to willingly sacrifice their time to serve the Lord. A renewed mind and a changed heart seek to fulfill the Lord’s will because it makes life more satisfying and rewarding.
The more our hearts desire to serve the Lord, the more love he places in our hearts. God is love and the closer we are to the Lord the more we are able to experience His love, peace, and joy. God gives us what the world cannot give us, and the more we give of ourselves to serve the Lord the more of heaven he pours into our souls from the Spirit.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:33). When we give Christ first priority in our lives, he takes care of our worldly needs. He guides us to make wise choices and through his divine power he provides. Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26). We know all things are possible for God, and when we serve him with a motivated and loving heart, our worldly needs are taken care of through his wisdom and power. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us (Ephesians 3:20).
When we serve the Lord from a heart of love, we can be confident that the Lord will provide for our needs. There is no security on the face of the earth that compares to security and confidence in the Lord, and knowing that heaven is our home. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand (John 10:28). We are safe in the Lord’s hands from now into eternity.
Today give to the Lord and receive peace and joy. Give with words of kindness and encouragement; have patience to listen and understand. The more of a giving heart we have the more blessings we will receive from the Lord as he fills our hearts with love, peace and security.
Prayer: Lord, continue to fill my heart with your love, molding me into the image of your Son. Thank you Lord for the Spirit that leads me through life, guiding me to do your good, pleasing and perfect will. In Jesus name, Amen