PRESSED DOWN AND SHAKEN TOGETHER

Luke 6:38
If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return
to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together
to make room for more, and running over.
Whatever measure you use in giving – large or small –
it will be used to measure what is given back to you.



What kind of information do you base your decisions on? Matthew 10:16 teaches us, “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents.” When my family and I initially emigrated to the U.S., I knew that God brought us to a new place to start a new life. At first, life felt very demanding, and the culture seemed very fast paced. It seemed like everyone was moving as fast as they possibly could to catch the proverbial "American Dream." That said, my family and I made a decision to offer my entire first paycheck to God. Sounds pretty risky, right? I knew, however, that in order to succeed in a new country and culture, I’d need to do the wisest thing possible and be obedient to God. Today, we’ve been provided with everything a family needs and we have it to the fullest. I never complain because there’s nothing to complain about. I know it might feel risky at times, but if you work on being obedient to our Creator, His blessings for your obedience can be so abundant that they'll literally feel pressed down and shaken together.