Today´s reading:
OT: Deuteronomy 2, Deuteronomy 3
NT: Luke 6:12-38
Ps: Psalm 67
Pr: Proverbs 11:27
Today´s notable verse:
37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 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 6:37-38 (NIV)
Today we get another Godly principle, and some Godly wisdom. The principle: “for with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” When I judge, I am likewise judged. When I condemn, I am likewise condemned. (For I am deserving of both.) However, when I am merciful and forgive, then I am shown mercy and forgiven. And the wisdom (from verse 31): “do to others as you would have them do to you.” Another way of thinking would be, “do to others as you would have God do to you” – since that is the practical application of this wisdom. God does not promise that others will treat us as we treat them or has how we would have them treat us. He does, however, promise to measure out to us according to the way we measure out to others – and He promises that the measure He gives us in return will be in proportion, exceedingly greater than that which we measured out. This idea is great to think about with respect to good things like mercy and giving – but it is downright dreadful to consider with respect to the bad things we mete out, such as judgement, condemnation, and unforgiveness!
The One Year Bible Blog asks:
Every time I read about Jesus’ calling of the apostles, I always think about myself. What would I have done if I was called by Jesus to be an apostle back then? What would I do if I was called to follow Jesus in this way today? What would you do? Would you leave everything behind and follow Jesus?
I know that I have been called, and every day I learn more and more what it means to “leave everything” for the sake of following Christ. I have even faced – and accepted – the possibility that God could be calling me to a single life. And I know beyond a doubt that, though it would take God’s help and strength every day, I am willing to sacrifice even the greatest desire of my heart – to be a husband and a father – if Christ calls me to do so.
I want God’s will for my life. I want God to accomplish His plan through me. More than anything, I want to hear on that last day, “well done, good and faithful servant.” I want to face eternity as Paul did: in the full assurance that I have run my race completely and successfully. Nothing in this present would could so captivate me that I would rather cling to it than receive my reward from God. I have given up family and friends to be where God has placed me – and with a calling to full-time missions, I expect that situation to be a continual one. I stake no claim of ownership of my “stuff”, but choose to view myself merely as the steward of them that I am. My very life means nothing to me, except that it be used for God’s purpose. And if my life is taken from me in the course of serving my God, then what I have gained will far surpass what I otherwise might have considered as lost. But, I cannot lose what is not mine – and I have chosen to give my life to Christ.