Law of Measures

July 15, 2021

 

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While it’s not recorded in Scripture, I promise you that Moses prayed. Isn’t that what we do when we cannot figure things out ourselves? When we find ourselves in situations that are beyond our control or beyond our comprehension, we pray. Moses must have felt like he was running off a cliff, but that is how the parachute of God’s promises opens up. 

It often seems like circling the promises of God is risky, but it’s not nearly as risky as not circling the promises of God. The greatest risk is failing to circle the promises of God because we forfeit the miracles God wants to perform.

One of the defining moments in the history of National Community Church was the day we made a defining decision to start giving to missions. We weren’t even a self-supporting church at the time, but I felt like God was prompting us to start giving.

To be honest, that prompting prompted a little argument. Have you ever felt like God has called you to do something, but after a quick calculation, you assume the Omniscient One miscalculated? 

I tried reasoning with Him: How can we give what we don’t have? 

But here is what I learned about arguments with God: If you win the argument, you actually lose; and if you lose the argument, you actually win.

I lost the argument and God won the day. We wrote a $50 check to missions and what happened next doesn’t add up. The next month, our monthly giving tripled from $2,000 to $6,000, and we never looked back. My only explanation is that Luke 6:38 is true. And when we circled this promise by writing that check, God multiplied His provision.

“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.”

I believe in the law of measures. If you give big, God will bless big. That certainly doesn’t mean that you can play God like a slot machine. But if you give for the right reasons, I’m convinced of this: You’ll never outgive God. It’s not possible, because God has promised that in the grand scheme of eternity, He will always give back more than you gave up.

This year we’re projecting a missions budget that a LOT more than $50, but that $50 check still ranks as the hardest and largest gift we’ve ever given to missions. It didn’t add up in the natural, but God made it multiply. And He’ll do the same for you. If you respond to His promptings, “this is crazy” will turn into “this is awesome.” 

When you live in obedience, you position yourself for blessing. 

And you never know how or when or where God is going to show up. He might just send winds out of the west at fifty miles per hour with a 100 percent chance of quail.

Excerpted from The Circle Maker published by Zondervan, a division of Harper Collins.

Mark Batterson

Mark Batterson

Mark Batterson serves as lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC. NCC also owns and operates Ebenezers Coffeehouse, The Miracle Theatre, and the DC Dream Center. Mark holds a doctor of ministry degree from Regent University and is the New York Times bestselling author of 17 books, including The Circle Maker, Chase the Lion, and Whisper. Mark and his wife, Lora, have three children and live on Capitol Hill.

1 Comment

  1. Magalie Salomon on August 5, 2021 at 3:58 am

    I enjoyed reading God’s messages through you. Thank you for reminding me that God is still in the miracles business. Sometimes I question if God’s heard my prayer and my cries, or if He finally gave up on me. I just have to trust him and believe in His promises. Thank you again for reminding me who I am in Christ and boosting my faith.

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