A mess of Blessings

Luke 6:36-38

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

“Stop judging and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.
For the measure with which you measure
will in return be measured out to you.”



To be merciful is SO hard sometimes. To not judge I think is even harder. Forgiving...sometimes impossible. And giving is most of the time ok. But giving when you don't feel like you have anything to give and giving when people are sucking you dry is just...draining.

But then to know that the mercy we receive, the judgments we DON'T receive, the condemnation--there is none in Christ, the gifts God gives are far better than anyone else can give, and I love this: a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing will be poured into your lap. Man! Can you see God up there with the blessings for us when we do these things...when we are merciful? When we stop judging? When we stop condemning? When we forgive? When we give? Can you see Him with the blessings? Packing it all down tight like you do brown sugar for a cake? Beating it down so that He can pack some more down in there? And then pouring more on top so that there is just a mound of it all over the place making a mess?

A mess of blessings!