Give and It Will Be Given to You
Recently I ran into an old acquaintance I had not seen in years. During the 10 or so minutes we spent reconnecting, I learned about the new job he’d recently landed. I was impressed with his initiative, so, later in the day, I emailed him with the intent only to encourage him. No other motive. I was surprised when I received this reply email within minutes.
Jamie,
It is always such an encouragement to me when you and I bump in to each other. I visited the work in Lewes over the 4th of July weekend and thought of the awesome job you did to begin that work! Blessings to you, Kathy and the boys, from our God who owns us and keeps us trusting in his sovereignty!
His email reminded me that when we serve others first, we create a powerful cycle of serving behavior and set in motion the principle of reciprocity. The reciprocity principle states that when we give something to someone else–whether a kind word, helping hand, or a good or service–human nature naturally desires to reciprocate.
Jesus communicated the same principle in Luke 6:38. He said, “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.”
Usually these words are applied to financial giving but I think they apply to all areas of life.
In the case of my acquaintance, a simple email of encouragement was returned with an almost immediate reciprocating encouraging email. The reciprocity principle is powerful. It works.
Here are a few things to remember.
1. You can’t game the reciprocity system: This means you can’t serve others with the motive to get something in return. People can smell a fake and will not reciprocate. You must sincerely desire to serve others to experience a reciprocating act.
2. Opportunities to start a reciprocating cycle are all around us: Every day we experience many situations giving us an opportunity to serve another. Try this tomorrow: Go through your day looking for opportunities to start a cycle and see how many you find.
3. Acts which start a reciprocating cycle can be large or small. They can be as simple as a kind word or email to larger acts requiring greater sacrifice.
So who can you encourage today? Who can you pray for today? Who can you call? Who can you serve? Don’t wait. Start a reciprocating cycle today. The reciprocating cycle will do wonderful things for your spiritual growth.
