Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.
Protestants believe in grace by faith, not through works. The act of giving does not absolve us of sin without a humble and penitent heart. Yet we also recognize that faith should look like something. This passage in Luke is very similar to Jesus declaring “whatever you did for the least of these…” (Matthew 25:40) A faithful heart must also be a generous heart. The measure that we give is not a simple ratio to be worked out by buying our way into salvation like the old system of indulgences. Instead, our giving should be the result of a faithful desire to give. Our giving should be “running over.” Instead of offering our guest a tablespoon of wine “to be polite,” we should be joyfully breaking out the finest vintage and filling the glass to the rim! Faith fuels generosity; generosity fuels faith.