December 1: Poured into your lap

Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 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 back to you. (Luke 6:37,38 — Holman Christian Standard Bible)

We determine our destiny… not fate, luck, or even God — we do! If you want a better life, you can get it. God will help you, Jesus will help you, the Holy Spirit will help you, and your pastors will help you. But the main responsibility is yours. God’s arms are open wide and He has already done everything for you. It’s as though God has prepared a wonderful feast, and has sent you a personal invitation to come and join Him.

Here we see Jesus emphasizing an unbreakable spiritual law: our attitudes and actions determine God's response. If we judge people harshly, show no mercy or kindness, if we are quick to condemn — how can we expect anything different from God? But if we are forgiving and kind, we will receive mercy and forgiveness from God and man. If we give to help others, we will receive blessings from God. There can be no real Christian growth without learning to give. When the church first started, back in the beginning of the Book of Acts, people sold property and houses to help God's work, and the church multiplied and amazing miracles happened. When our hands are open to give to God and His works, our hands are also open to receive.

That is what Jesus promises here — give and it will be given to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. When we give our lives, our energy, our money, and everything we are and have to God, He will open the floodgates of heaven’s blessings for us! After all, He is the owner of everything, He is the Creator of all things, and He is our Provider and Father. When we do as He commands we can be sure that he will keep His word to us. This is the secret of a prosperous life — the secret of true success.