A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25
On our last day in Wisconsin, my friend brought her four-year-old daughter Kinslee to say goodbye. “I don’t want you to move,” said Kinslee. I hugged her and gave her a canvas, hand-painted fan from my collection. “When you miss me, use this fan and remember that I love you.” Kinslee asked if she could have a different fan—a paper one from my bag. “That one’s broken,” I said. “I want you to have my best fan.” I didn’t regret giving Kinslee my favorite fan. Seeing her happy made me happier. Later, Kinslee told her mother she was sad because I kept the broken fan. They sent me a brand-new, fancy purple fan. After giving generously to me, Kinslee felt happy again. So did I.
In a world that promotes self-gratification and self-preservation, we can be tempted to hoard instead of living with giving hearts. However, the Bible says that a person who “gives freely . . . gains even more” (Proverbs 11:24). Our culture defines prosperity as having more and more and more, but the Bible says that “a generous person will prosper” and “whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” (v. 25).
God’s unlimited and unconditional love and generosity continually recharge us. We can each have a giver’s heart and create unending giving cycles because we know God—the Giver of all good things—never gets tired of providing abundantly.
How has the generosity of others helped you get closer to Jesus? How can you put someone else’s needs above your own this week?
Dear God, help me give as generously as You’ve given to me.
INSIGHT
Proverbs 10–22 are a collection of individual wisdom sayings compiled by Solomon. In Proverbs 10–15, most of the proverbs appear in contrastive form, in which a wise choice is advised and then compared to the negative result of foolish behavior. It can be difficult to identify a specific thread in any given section of these proverbs, but in the second half of chapter 11, the theme of wealth and its appropriate use is clearly in view. In verse 15, we’re warned against using our wealth as collateral for a stranger and are reminded that caution in making commitments is wise. In verse 16, wealth is contrasted with honor, and wealth is seen as vastly inferior. Verse 18 warns against “deceptive wages” and instead extols “righteousness.” And in verse 24, a generous heart brings “even more” to the giver, while stinginess will lead to “poverty.”
Gain wisdom from the Bible on how to handle finances.