Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you. Luke 6:38 (NKJV)
My dear friend Jodi gave me these measuring spoons a few years ago. Aren’t they neat decorated with tea cups? I use them often for measuring and baking.
The other day I was looking at these spoons again and recalled a devotion I heard at Awana a long time ago.
Awana is a children’s Bible program that meets weekly to bring boys and girls to Christ. It’s name comes from 2 Timothy 2:15 – Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed. The children play games, memorized Bible verses, and have a council time each week. (To find an Awana near you, check their website: http://www.awana.org/
Once when our older children were still in Awana, I came early to pick them up and heard the council time devotion. The pastor had several spoons and shovels and a bag of M&Ms. I can’t remember exactly how he worded it, but the point was, which size spoon or shovel would you like to be given M&Ms? THE BIGGEST ONE, of course!
Well, that is the size shovel we should be using to give to others, also. We shouldn’t give because we expect blessings in return. But we should give because we are so full of God’s love we want to share it with others. AND we should use the BIGGEST shovel we have!
Bakers know that when you measure flour, you scoop it gently and level it with a knife, never pressing it down. But when you measure brown sugar, you pack it into the measuring cup, pressing firmly to get as much sugar as possible. That is how this verse from Luke tells us to measure what we give others — pack it down and give as much as we can! AND God promises we will be blessed!
Today’s TEA CUPP: What size spoon are you using to share with others? Let’s all try to use a bigger spoon today!
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 (NKJV)
