Man After God's Own Heart:“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 6:38).

20 August 2020

“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 6:38).

Luke 6
Judging Others
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.
36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

1 Chronicles 29
David’s Prayer
10 David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying,
“Praise be to you, Lord,
    the God of our father Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting.
17 I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you.
12 Wealth and honor come from you;
    you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
    to exalt and give strength to all.
13 Now, our God, we give you thanks,
    and praise your glorious name.”

Not exactly sure how our Dear Pastor Clem put it, our giving is the barometer of our love for the Lord; you cannot love without giving.

The above passage in Luke is commonly referred for lessons on giving, the more you give, the more you receive. But note the caption on the passage, judging others.

Then the other passage, in 1 Chronicles, is about King David's offering for the Temple of the Lord.

In earlier chapter in 1 Chronicles, 21 David Counts the Fighting Men
1 Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.

David's action was a affront to the Lord, he repented and made up things with the Lord for his sins and shortcomings.

Then note that even much earlier, 1 Samuel 13:14 “But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”

That was the reference to David, that was even before he became an adulterer, a murderer and angering the Lord with the census.

How come? God's understanding no one can fathom (Isaiah 40:28). May be this will help, go through the Book of Psalms and get to know David, the man after God's own heart, and more importantly, know the heart of God.

I can only come clean before the Lord for him to bless me, there is no otherwise. My heart has to be right with God for my heart to be right with others, not judging others. I cannot say I love God then judging others. The material giving is just the consequence, the consequence of the love of God in me. I can only pray honest when my heart is right with God; the Lord, the God of David, is a Compassionate God. Amen.

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