"Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” - Luke 6:38
The Kingdom of Heaven flips conventional earthly wisdom on its head.
The first will be last and the last will be first.
The poor in spirit will inherit the Kingdom of God
The Cross, a symbol of death on earth, is a simple of life in heaven.
Jesus, the King of Glory, came to earth not to be served but to serve.
This life is our opportunity to race to the bottom of the totem pole in the eyes of this world so that we may be at the top in the eyes of God.
Whoever will empty himself most fully will be filled most fully with the Holy Spirit.
Whoever will humble himself deepest will be exalted highest by God.
In the wisdom of this world, if you want something, you need to go out and take it.
"Go out and take what belongs to you"
But in God's Kingdom, the key to receiving is giving.
Want peace? Make peace with someone else.
Want abundance? Give abundantly.
Want joy? Bring joy to another.
Want love? Give love.
Want life? Give yours away.
The Holy Spirit who dwells within us is truly all we need. We lack nothing when we have Him. But in order to taste His fruit, we must give it away. When we feel that we are lacking in the fruit of the Spirit (peace, joy, love...) we have a tendency to want to hoard what little of it we have left.
But it is only when we give what we have away that we are reminded that we lack nothing. Only when we share our fruit are we reminded that we are connected to an infinitely producing vine. Only when we let go of what is in our hands do we understand that our security comes not from what is in our hands but rather from the fact that we are held in His hands.
A lonely apple tree does not demand that others be planted nearby. It simply produces good fruit and then gives it all away knowing that it will receive in direct proportion to what it gives.
Remember the words the Lord Jesus himself said:
'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'
Acts 20:35
so like St Francis prayer. better to understand than be understood …