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Measure for Measure

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”
Luke 6:37–38

The Scottish preacher Alexander Whyte recounted the story of a visit he paid to a prominent lawyer in Glasgow. He said that when he entered the office, the lawyer asked, “Do you have a message for an old sinner?” Whyte responded by telling the man the text for his sermon the next Sunday. “Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy” (Micah 7:18). God would have every right to delight in justice. Sin is an awful, despicable, hateful thing in His eyes, and it is fully fitting for it to be punished. Yet, instead, God’s love and grace are so wonderful that He delights in extending mercy to us. And He calls for us to do the same in our dealings with others.
God has established a principle of sowing and reaping in the world, and it extends to our relationships with others. If we are harsh and critical and judgmental, we cannot expect to receive mercy when we need it—and we certainly are going to need it at some point in our lives. Just as God enjoys the opportunity to extend mercy to us, a forgiving and gracious spirit should characterize our lives. We should be merciful because it is the right thing to do, but if we need an additional incentive, there is the truth that we will receive from others what we give to them.
 

Today’s Growth Principle: 

Realizing that we will reap what we sow should encourage us to be merciful in the way we treat others.

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And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”  Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” --Revelation 21:5 If you’re a human being, you’ve been disappointed in life. A dream or two probably hasn’t come true. And you’ve probably been betrayed or feel like you’ve failed at some point. But the good news is, no matter what your past looks like, there is hope! Your story isn’t over. In our Scripture today, Revelation 21:5, Jesus says, “Behold, I am making all things new.” God can take your broken life, your broken dreams, and your broken hopes and remake them new again. But you know what you have to do today? Let them go. Release control of your life to God. Perhaps today you’d admit that you’ve never really given God control of your life. Maybe you even grew up in church and around Christianity, but never truly entrusted your life to God. Well, today, I’d like to challenge you to really release control of your life to God. Today’s Bible verse goes on to say, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” God can be trusted with your dreams and with your future because His words are trustworthy and true. No matter what your past looks like, as a Christian there is hope!