by Jeffrey Bush
There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it. (Proverbs 11:24-26)
These verses are packed with both practical and gospel advice. We can withhold what we have, attempting to save up more, or we can give it away and watch God replenish. As the bottomless oil pot when the widow continued pouring into other pots, so is the person that continues giving… God just keeps filling the vessel. You can’t out-give God!
As a young child, I remember a missionary visiting our small church. As soon as church finished, my dad loaded our family into the van and we headed towards the house. We walked in the house and my dad began to open our cabinets and place groceries in a box and brown paper bags. My mom had recently been grocery shopping, so the majority of our groceries were still unopened. Dad pulled out my favorite sour-cream-and-onion chips, snacks, and bread. He then loaded us back into the family van and we drove to a spot where we met the missionary. I was very young and do not remember all that was said, but looking over the van seat I saw my dad open the trunk, pick up the groceries, and hand them over to the missionary. There were a few nods, handshakes, smiles, and then my family was off again to the house. Many years have passed, and I don’t know who that missionary was or what my dad said, but that moment greatly impacted me. We didn’t have much money, but I can tell you that we never ran out of food. God gave back what my dad generously gave away. You can never out-give God!
Allow me to give you a few thoughts on why not to withhold:
Your Withholding Hurts You
“there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.”
When you withhold, it does the complete opposite of what you desire. Instead of filling your pocket, it burns a hole in your pocket. The Lord teaches that when you lose your life, you will find it. When you try to hold onto your time, your talent, and your treasure, you lose it instead of investing and enjoying it. God told the Israelites that their selfish withholding was placing their wages into a bag with holes (Haggai 1:6). Instead of tightly holding onto your possessions, release them into God’s hands to be multiplied for His use.
Your Giving Blesses Others
“The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.”
God says it is better to give than to receive (Luke 6:38). Just as with the fish and bread, God can multiply and use your little for His glory. It’s the widow’s mite that God recognizes. It’s the lunch of the lad and the last cake of a widow woman that God seems to use in His work. Don’t worry about the amount, just concern yourself with being part of God’s great channel of blessing to those around you. All you have came from God, so place it back into God’s hand and see what He will do with it!
Your Giving Affects Others
“He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it.”
When Mary broke the alabaster box, God said she would be remembered throughout the world. Her gift was not a waste, and it is written down to not be forgotten. What you do for God will not be forgotten either (Hebrews 6:10). When you give to others, that specific person is blessed, God is blessed, you are blessed, and all those around you are blessed.
