One person gives freely yet gains more; another withholds what is right, only to become poor. 11:14
There is significant truth in this Proverb and I have witnessed it on many occasions. Those who give receive, and those who refuse to give typically struggle financially, (and in many other ways). There is a simple reason for this; it is because God owns everything and we own nothing. The money I have, the possessions I have, the clothes I wear… these are not really mine, instead, they are things that have been given to me by the Lord and they are His. It is a principle called “stewardship” that every serious Christian must embrace. This is the simple truth that we own nothing, God owns everything and we are to be stewards or managers of these things that God has temporarily given to us. In other words, we use them the way He tells us to use them, and many times it is to give them away.
God is looking for people who will be His conduit of blessings to others. He wants us to be rivers who receive resources and pass them on to others, not reservoirs that horde His blessings and refuse to give them out. Jesus said, “Give and it shall be given to you.” (Luke 6:38) When God finds someone willing to give freely then He gives her more and more so that she can continue to pass it on to other people. When someone is unwilling to give freely then God withholds from him because God is looking for someone who is a joyful giver, not a stingy hoarder. We should not give just so we can receive, but when we do give with the right heart, God continues to give to us because He wants to use us to change His world.
