Trash cans and giving

Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure–pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return. -Luk6.38

I have read and quoted this verse many a time and yet, as always, there is still more fresh revelation to be gotten out of God’s word. I guess I never really understood the “pressed down, shaken together, and running over” part of it. Well, I just stumbled upon this verse in the New Living translation:

Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.

Just like I use my foot to minimize the wasted space in the trash can, God wants to minimize the areas of our lives that we are NOT blessed in.

The blessing is going to be “pressed down” and “shaken together” in order that he can maximize the amount of blessing that he can give us. After he squeezes out all the “empty space” the blessing just keeps coming until it overflows – ironically similar to my kitchen trash can.