Lessons from Kids Church

Like the adults, kids in our church are also taught to faithfully tithe. The last time we served in Kids Church, I was asked to explain the verse for the tithes and offerings. Because I find the verse encouraging, I would also like to share my interpretation here, with a bit more detail.

Luke 6:38

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.

There are several exhortations in the bible encouraging us to tithe properly and faithfully. Oftentimes, we are told that tithing is God's command, he is asking for so little compared to what he has given us - that is very true. But when I was studying this verse, it touched my heart in a different way. Have you ever thought that God loves to give? He is our provider, but he doesn't do it out of obligation or necessity, he genuinely wants to bless us abundantly. How do i know? Simple, if God was just asking us for our tithes and offerings, the verse would be so much shorter. It would just say GIVE. The end. But it doesn't, right? So let's see what the rest of the verse says, phrase by phrase.

...and it will be given to you

Clear enough, it simply states that if we give, we will also receive. Then what do we receive? 

...a good measure, pressed down, shaken together

Coffee, tea, or what?

My Dad often asks me to refill the sugar, milk and coffee containers. When I do that, I fill the container to the brim (a good measure), then shake the container to fill in the empty spaces. If I then press the product down into the container with a spoon, what happens? The product gets compressed, leaving greater space to pour in more product. That's what God does with the blessings he plans for us, he takes a good amount, then shakes it and presses it together to make room for more. 

...and running over 

Imagine this for a glass of water

Once there's more room, God continues to fill the container of blessing, not stopping when it is full, but overflowing, more than matching what we offered, giving us more than we expect.  

...will be put into your lap

Not by our own effort. We don't even need to grab the blessings or force God to give them to us. It's already there, just waiting to be poured out into our lives. 

...For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you

And so there it is. Our very generous Father loves to bless us, but he must have something to start with. What we give will determine how much can be given to us. There's a correlation between the amount given and the amount received (naks, stat yan).   

For me, this verse is not just a command. It's a promise, the assurance that if we faithfully give to God what he asks, we will not be left short-handed. I don't think it was written to wrench the tithes out of our pockets, but to excite us for the things that God has in store for us when we cheerfully follow.   

Disclaimer: I am not a person deeply rooted in theology and I am not a bible scholar. Explanations here are my own opinion and I am not forcing them on anyone.