The amount you measure out is the amount you will be given!

Mark 4:21-35

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Would you bring in a lamp to put it under a tub or under the bed? Surely you will put it on the lamp-stand? For there is nothing hidden but it must be disclosed, nothing kept secret except to be brought to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to this.’ He also said to them, ‘Take notice of what you are hearing. The amount you measure out is the amount you will be given – and more besides; for the man who has will be given more; from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away.’

Food for thought!

“The amount you measure out is the amount you will be given.” These words of Jesus are very provocative. Jesus is saying that it all depends on us; it means that all is in you, all is in me: the way, the solution, the life, the heaven and the hell; the success and the failure. It means that the amount of effort you apply in anything, good or bad, is the amount you will get back. If you apply yourself to goodness, you will get goodness; if you apply yourself to evil, evil you will get. What you get depends on what you give. What you give you will get back, only more so.
In life there is always a balance. A man's getting will be determined by his giving. It means that you are getting back what you are giving away. This is true of study. It is specially so in regard to the study of the Bible. We may sometimes feel that there are certain parts of the Bible which are difficult. May be. But the truth is that if we study these parts they will often turn out to be the most interesting parts of the Bible. A superficial study of a subject will often leave us quite uninterested whereas a really intensive study will leave us thrilled and fascinated.

It is true of personal relationships. One of the great facts of life is that we see our reflection in other people. If we are cross and irritable and bad-tempered, we will probably find other people equally unpleasant. If we are critical and fault-finding, the chances are that life will us the same people. If we are suspicious and distrustful, the likelihood is that others will be so to us. If we wish others to love us, we must first love them; if you want to be forgiven, forgive; if you want to be given, give. The person who would have friends must show himself or herself friendly. It was because Jesus believed in men that men believed in him.