Note 1 at Lk. 6:38: This verse reveals one of God's cardinal laws that works in the spiritual realm as well as the physical world. Just as we "give" seed into the ground to receive back multiple seeds, so it is with everything we give. Whether it's money, possessions, an emotion such as love or hate, prayers, or our time, we will reap a harvest on whatever we give. We reap exactly what we sow (Gal. 6:7- 8) and proportional to the same measure that we give, also. "He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully" (2 Cor. 9:6). This law works on positive or negative things that we sow, as can be seen in verse 37.

Although this is an unchangeable law of God, it can be overcome by a greater law in much the same way that we can escape the law of gravity by using the greater laws of thrust and lift. The negative things we have given don't have to come back to us if we apply the greater law of forgiveness (1 Jn. 1:9). Likewise, the good things we have sown can be avoided if we don't continue in well doing (Gal. 6:9).

This measure spoken of can be interpreted as referring to the size of the measure or the way that we measure--both are true. If we're late in our giving, our supply will be late. If we give grudgingly, it will be given to us grudgingly. If we give cheerfully, it will be given to us cheerfully (2 Cor. 9:7).

Note 2 at Lk. 6:38: God is our source, but God uses people. For instance, if we pray for finances, God is not going to counterfeit currency and put it into your wallet; He will use people to get the money to you. So it is not always as simple as praying for money and receiving it in the next minute. We need to believe the Lord hears and answers our prayers and then pray for the people He's going to use to deliver the answer. That could be our employer, the person who buys our goods, or any number of people.