How long do we give?

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"Give to every man that asketh of thee;

and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again."

Luke 6:30 KJV

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"Give to everyone who asks you,

and if anyone takes what belongs to you,

do not demand it back."

Luke 6:30 NIV

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"If someone takes unfair advantage of you,

use the occasion to practice the servant life.

No more tit-for-tat stuff.

Live generously."

Luke 6:30 The Message

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How long are we suppose to keep giving?

When do we draw the line?

When do we say enough is enough?

Am I wrong to even ask these questions?

One scripture, three versions....

"ask them not..."

"do not demand..."

"no more..."

It seems to me that this idea of giving of our lives or possessions is intended too be a continuous way of life. Not just something to make us feel good at Thanksgiving or Christmas, but something that should be at the front of our minds on the 19th day of May, or the 23rd day of January, or the 8th day of November.... you get the point.

But that leaves me to wonder, where do we stop? Is the lesson here that we are to give until we can't give anymore? (That doesn't set well with my conservative nature.)

Yet I suppose that this was similar to the predicament the rich young ruler was in. Jesus told him to sell everything he had, give to the poor and come follow Him. I can imagine his sorrow, I'm not anywhere near to being rich, and I certainly don't think I'd like the idea of selling everything and giving it all to the poor.

I think the lesson here is the last statement in The Message translation:

"LIVE GENEROUSLY"