Luke 3:11 “If you have two coats, give one away,” he said. “Do the same with your food.”
The multiplying factor in the kingdom of God is generosity and giving. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed (Proverbs 11:25). John the Baptist preached transformational sermons to prepare the hearts of the people for the coming Messiah. The second tunic that Luke refers to is the outer tunic. The Jewish dress code was an inner robe, then a tunic which is normally two pieces of garments woven together. The tunic or the outer coat was a luxury. John the Baptist addressed the pompous Pharisees, Sadducees, tax-collectors, soldiers and those in authority who were exploiting the commoners and hoarding wealth illicitly. His sermons were reformative to the affluent and transformative to the common people who were thirsting for truth.
The promises that bring ‘double for our trouble’ or ‘times-two’ blessings operate on the principle of generosity and giving. It is not just giving money but sharing our time, talents and treasures. Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed (Proverbs 19:17). God is a debtor to no one and He will repay. God’s hands are gazillion times bigger than ours. One hand of grain from an average human hand would contain 100 to 200 grains which would be about 12 grams. Even if the Lord God repays one handful of our kindness with His hands that holds the cosmos together, it will be gazillion times more than the human hand. Our barns and bank accounts will have no room to hold the blessings from His hands.
Generosity and giving from a heart of gratitude is the multiplying factor for a double portion blessing. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward (Matthew 10:42). God’s giving hands are gazillion times bigger than human hands.
Times-Two:
1. Generosity: Generosity starts in the heart not in the hand. Everything we have has come from Him. To double what you have, give generously.
2. Giving: The size of a human heart is the size of the fist similarly the size of our giving is the size of our heart. It is not how much we give but the amount that we intend to give in our heart that is counted. ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’ (Acts 20:35). We don’t give to get but the principle of times-two blessings activates when we give cheerfully. Give cheerfully.
3. Gratitude: Gratitude makes us realize that we own nothing. We are only trustees of our children, properties and responsibilities. Pride makes us stingy but gratitude makes us generous. Give gratefully.
Generous giving from a heart of gratitude is the multiplying factor to receive double portion blessings in God’s Kingdom.
Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be given to you.
Prayer: Dearest Lord Jesus, give me a generous and a giving heart and help me never to forget that I own nothing. Thank you for your goodness, graciousness and generosity. Amen.
Leave a Reply