Day 151/365- Proverbs 11:24

"Giving what we can't"

Give freely and become more wealthy;
be stingy and lose everything. (Proverbs 11:24 NLT)

I love Proverbs. I really feel like there is a lifetime of wisdom in just one chapter! How can we actually soak it all up? It seems impossible. I think it's as simple as one verse at a time. We don't have the luxury of camping out in the Proverbs since we read at least three chapters a day. But, we would do well to remember & go back to reread some of the great truths found here.

So many verses stand out but this one in particular is so counter-cultural. This verse represents God's economy. The world says, "Keep what you have. Save it up, hoard it, this is the way to be wealthy." But God says the way to be wealthy is to give. Can this be true? Is the way to having more actually giving more? My dad always told me growing up, "You can't out-give God." He was right!

I'm not seeking the prosperity gospel here. I'm not saying you need to sow a seed & it will reap "100 fold" (TV preacher voice). But, I do think God's economy works differently than the world. When we seek first his kingdom with our resources, we never lack & in fact, we increase. But when we hold back & spend on ourselves, and just ourselves, we tend to regularly be in a financial bind.

This has been true in my own life. Every time I have been generous I've been blessed. Even when I give what I can't, God provides. More so, he pours out blessings! People give a gift card, pay for our meal, send money in the mail (seriously, one time we got $500 in cash, God is good!!). And, when I have withheld from God, I tend to lack in return.

So, this proverb teaches us that God's economy is different & if we truly want to live & experience the blessed life, we must put him first financially. God cannot give to a closed hand!