🔥 Behind the Fire #005 — Overflow From a Changed Heart
Luke 6:38Â
Welcome Back to Behind the Fire
Behind the Fire — where every verse gets stripped down to its core. In context. Not through the lens of comfort. Not through the lens of culture. A deep dive into scripture, according to scripture.
Every Scripture that fuels Spirit and Fire calls believers to live unashamed of the gospel, to love boldly, and to obey Christ fully.
Scripture Spotlight
Luke 6:38 (ESV)
“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.”
The Fire in the Verse (Background)
Who wrote this?
Luke — the physician, historian, and close companion of Paul.
A Gentile writer, led by the Spirit to create the most detailed gospel account, written to Jews and Gentiles alike, so that readers would understand that the gospel is for all.Â
Who is speaking and who are they speaking to?
Jesus is speaking. Some of your bibles may have this passage in red letters. This is part of the “Sermon on the Plain,” a parallel to the Sermon on the Mount. And he is speaking to a mixed crowd of disciples and "a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon" - Luke 6:17
This was a massive crowd!
Why was this taught?
Jesus was redefining what true discipleship looks like — not selfishness or pride, not self-promotion, but generous, merciful, self-sacrificing love that mirrors the Father’s heart.
Our passage is preceded by the beatitudes, Jesus pronouncing "woes", and a controversial call to love our enemies.
This sermon would have been considered radical in their culture.Â
Usually in our context, if someone says something this counter cultural, it's for attention. But this wasn't for views. It was to paint a picture of what true discipleship looks like: mercy, forgiveness, generosity, and grace.
The Fire in the Verse (Breakdown)
So lets break this down, "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.”
“Give…”
This is not about tithing or money. Although it certainly could apply. It's about so much more than that. It’s about the posture of your heart.
We are called to Give:
- forgiveness
- patience
- mercy
- compassion
- love
- service
- resources
- grace
“…and it will be given to you.”
Not a vending machine. Not “sow a seed, reap a great fortune.”
Jesus is essentially saying, God pours out on you what you consistently pour out on others. Not because you earn it, but because God transforms you into a vessel He loves to refill. When you pour out of the overflow of love and joy that you receive from Him, He will give more. You can't out-give God!
“pressed down, shaken together, running over…”
This is farming language. A picture of someone filling a basket so full they have to pack it, shake it down, and then it still spills over. This is abundant spiritual overflow, not material wealth.
“…for with the measure you use…”
Jesus is exposing the heart! If you give stingily, you’ll live stingily. If you give generously, you’ll live in spiritual abundance. This is not karma. This is kingdom law. God honors generosity because generosity reflects His character.
Behind the Fire
The world teaches self-promotion. Self-preservation. Self-first. Christ calls men to the opposite.
Kingdom men pour out what Christ has poured into them — fully, freely, sacrificially.
Not because it’s safe.
Not because it’s comfortable.
But because we serve a God who gave everything.
Luke 6:38 is not about receiving.
It’s about becoming.
Becoming men whose hearts overflow with what the Spirit has produced in them:
- mercy
- forgiveness
- generosity
- love
It’s not about prosperity. It’s about transformation. It’s about the gospel overflowing through you from a place of gratitude and joy. It's an overflow from a changed heart.
This is why Spirit and Fire exists, to call men to a life that looks like the One we follow. Our Jesus!
A life that gives without keeping score.
A life that trusts God to supply so abundantly that it overflows.Â
Reflection & Application
-
What area of your life have you been giving sparingly where God is calling you to pour out generously?
-
What “measure” are you using with others — judgment or mercy? bitterness or grace?
-
How would your relationships change if you gave forgiveness and patience “pressed down, shaken together, running over”?
🔥 Fire Challenge
The first five people who submit their Fire Challenge will receive 30% off their next order.
Submit through the Fire Challenge Submission Page!!
Submissions close Saturday at midnight.
Call to Action
This week, measure out what Christ has measured toward you:
mercy, grace, generosity, and love.
Let your life overflow because the Spirit within you overflows.
— Josh | Spirit and Fire
“Set Apart. Set on Fire.”