Luke 6:38 (NIV)

Here’s a clear, true-to-Scripture explanation of Luke 6:38 (NIV):

> “Give, and it will be given to you.
A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over,
will be poured into your lap.
For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

---

What Luke 6:38 (NIV) Really Teaches

1. It’s about the heart of generosity—not just money

Jesus isn’t only talking about financial giving. The context (Luke 6:27–36) is about mercy, forgiveness, love for enemies, and kindness.
So “give” means give kindness, forgiveness, patience, mercy, love, grace.

What you offer to others reveals the heart you carry.

---

2. God responds to your generosity with His generosity

The imagery of “pressed down, shaken together, running over” is from marketplace measurements:
A seller fills a basket, shakes it to remove air gaps, presses it to make room for more, and fills it until it overflows.

This illustrates God’s abundant response.

When you give:

• God multiplies grace back to you.

• He fills your life with more than you offered.

• Your giving opens you to receive.

It’s not a “prosperity formula.”
It’s a spiritual principle: generous hearts receive generous grace.

---

3. The measure you use becomes the measure you receive

This is the moral core of the verse.

If you:

• give generously → you receive generously

• forgive freely → you receive forgiveness freely

• show mercy deeply → you receive mercy deeply

• judge harshly → you receive harshness back

Jesus is teaching a spiritual echo:
What you pour out determines what returns to you.

---

In Summary

Luke 6:38 teaches that:

• Generosity is a lifestyle rooted in love.

• God responds abundantly to the generosity you show.

• The way you treat others becomes the way God and people treat you.

It’s a call to live with open hands and open hearts, trusting that God gives back more than you ever release.