"There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty. 25 The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself." Proverbs 11:24-25
Jesus has a way of taking what are accepted norms and turing them upside down. I remember leaving my secure, well paid job in my mid-thirties to follow what we believed was the call that God had on our lives. I did not have a job to go to and had spent some time working out our finances knowing that for a period of time we would be okay. God spoke to us though about being more generous in our giving - in a time when I would not be earning. Initially I thought that we would surely go under but the amazing truth is that we saw God multiply and bless us in so many ways as a family and we always had more than we needed.
That is the upside down nature of the kingdom. We think that if we scatter - giving generously of our time money & talent that somehow what remains for us decreases proportionally. The truth is that God takes what you give and supernaturally multiplies it for the people who receive it and also for you. You will never out give God. The more you hold on the poorer you become. The other side of this truth is that when we pour out we are refreshed and blessed. It is good for us! We think in terms of cost and God thinks in terms of blessing. That is upside down!
Take a step & trust God today. When you are tempted to withhold or fear tells you that you cannot be generous then remind yourself that every time you give you are going to be watered & refreshed. You are blessed! God has supplied all that you need. He will never let you down but in fact will increase you in ways that you never imagined before. You have all that you need today already. What a great thought to start the day.