11/10

Proverbs 11:24-25

²⁴One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. ²⁵A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

This is very similar to Jesus' expression about the one who tries to save his life and ends up losing it. The one who loses his life finds it. It is the upside down world of the Kingdom of God. I once met a man who thought the Lord told him that he would one day be rich. I reminded him that he had true wealth already in his knowledge of the Lord and gifts of the Spirit. That is true wealth! He has a family that loves and respects him. What a wealthy man indeed! He freely gave of that spiritual wealth, and if you asked for the little finances he had, he would share that with you as well. The wealthiest man I knew lived completely from the hand of God. He trusted God would provide his every need as he ministered to dying people in a hospital of a foreign land. God always met his need. These men gave freely and they gained even more.

On the other hand I know some extremely wealthy people who begrudge giving any amount. They live in the poverty of their own spirit. They have never learned that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). They never experienced the wonder that you cannot out-give God. That is a sad thing, for they will give an account to God for hoarding their resources.

God invests in us spiritual and physical wealth so that we can be His hands of mercy and grace in the world. If we stand at the judgment and declare that we buried it because we knew we would have to account for it all, He will say to us what he said to the unfaithful steward. "Wicked and slothful servant!" (Matthew 25:26) God help us to realize this Kingdom principle.

Meditation: To give is to be blessed and to increase, but to hoard in fear is to wither and die.