I Can’t Out-Give God

In Luke 6:38 it says, “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” (NLT)

When I give from a heart for Jesus, my goal isn’t to get a blessing. But the truth is that God will bless me.

I can’t out-give God. When I learn to be generous like God is generous, he promises that I'll end up with more. This is God’s economy.

Sometimes it seems like God is saying: “Let’s see who can out-give the other. You give to me and to other people, and I’ll give to you—and we’ll see who wins.”

And God always wins! He says over and over in Scripture that I will end up with more if I learn to be generous. Sometimes those blessings will be material. But sometimes they’ll be the spiritual blessings that come from a generous heart.

Jesus says, “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back” (Luke 6:38 NLT).

What is Jesus saying here? Imagine I go to a market to buy grain. I bring a burlap sack and pay to have the whole sack filled. As the shop owner is pouring grain, I press it into my sack. Then I gently shake the sack so the grain settles down even more. I want to fit the maximum amount of grain.

Jesus is saying that God’s blessings are the same. When I give generously, he’ll give so generously that I’ll have to make room for more.

He gives in full measure—and then some—when I learn to be generous like him. The way I give to others is the way God will give to me. He wants me to be generous because he wants me to be like him. I can’t become more like Christ without learning to give generously.

This is one of the most important decisions I will make: Is my life going to be about giving away what God has blessed me with? Will it be marked by a joyous desire to grab hold of God’s promises as I let go of the things of this earth?

“The amount I give will determine the amount I get back.” I determine how much God blesses my life.

Jesus used the picture of measuring grain in a basket to ensure the full amount. If I treat others generously, graciously, and compassionately, however, these qualities will come back to me in full measure. I am to love others, not judge them.