"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)
Some people look at these words from Jesus and think that if they give one amount, they get that and more back. I don't think that is what Jesus is telling us. Jesus is teaching about the radically different life of faith. He tells us to be generous. He doesn't promise that if we give $10 we will get $15 back. He does promise that genuine generosity has great rewards. These are the reward of helping another person, of trusting God, of seeing the difference our gift can make in the life of the recipient. God is generous to us. He teaches us to be generous to others.
Some people look at these words from Jesus and think that if they give one amount, they get that and more back. I don't think that is what Jesus is telling us. Jesus is teaching about the radically different life of faith. He tells us to be generous. He doesn't promise that if we give $10 we will get $15 back. He does promise that genuine generosity has great rewards. These are the reward of helping another person, of trusting God, of seeing the difference our gift can make in the life of the recipient. God is generous to us. He teaches us to be generous to others.