Money in the Word Episode 5: Proverbs 11:24-25

In this video, we take a look at Proverbs 11:24-25 with Chelsea Reynolds of Guide Financial Planning. These verses discuss the difference between a generous heart willing to give and withholding unduly in an effort to have more for yourself, and the outcome of each heart posture.

Hi, my name is Chelsea Reynolds, and I'm a part of the Guide Financial Planning team. Thanks so much for tuning in to another episode of Money in the Word. Today's passage is Proverbs 11: 24-25. It says, "One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper, whoever refreshes others will be refreshed."

Proverbs was written by the wisest man that ever lived, Solomon. In this book, Solomon gives practical insight and guidelines for life, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. In this particular Proverb, Solomon explains that when we freely give God gives us even more in return. It's important to note that this isn't necessarily referring to giving and receiving money, and that what God gives isn't necessarily more financial wealth. But rather gifts and resources that hold much more significant eternal value.

This has been a very helpful and also very convicting verse for me in my own personal life. I've been on both sides of this, willing to freely give out of the goodness of my heart, and also withholding in an attempt to build more for myself. There have been seasons where I hardly had anything, but had a lot of faith and a heart posture that was willing to give knowing that was God's will. At times it almost seemed unwise to give when I barely had anything to give in the first place. However, it was during those times that I acted out of genuine faith and obedience that God showed up and blessed me immeasurably more than I expected or hoped. On the other hand, there have been times I was not as willing to give and had a heart posture of just wanting to increase my own wealth or have more possessions. Ironically, I ended up with a lot less money and a lot more want, and also regret for not being a wise steward of what God has given me.

Taking a look at the ESV translation for these verses, the outcomes for both scenarios I just referred to make a little more sense. This translation writes, "One gives freely yet, grows all the richer. Another withholds what he should give and only suffers want." So the more you give the more you receive, and your heart is transformed into wanting to give even more. But the more you withhold the more you will only want more and more for yourself, and are left with a feeling of lack.

I would like to read a quick excerpt from my Bible about these verses. It says, "These two verses present a paradox: that we become richer by being generous. The world says to hold on to as much as possible, but God blesses those who freely give of their possessions, time and energy. When we give, God supplies us with more so that we can give more. In addition, giving helps us gain a right perspective on our possessions. We realize they were never really ours to begin with, but they were given to us by God to be used to help others. What then do we gain by giving? Freedom from enslavement to our possessions, the joy of helping others, and God's approval."

One other thing that is encouraging is that Jesus was the most generous person who ever lived, and is the best person at refreshing others that ever walked the face of the Earth. In fact, he's the only person who could offer others refreshing that would last for eternity. It's comforting to know that as we seek to be more generous and refreshing to others, we can set our eyes to the one who did this perfectly. Ultimately, our wealth is not our own. We may work hard for it, but at the end of the day it all comes from the Lord. With this in mind, we should heed the teachings in scripture to how God would have us steward what he has given us. The reward we will receive isn't just a financial reward, and shouldn't be our main goal. The ultimate gift is having our heart changed and molded to be like Christ; to have a heart posture that looks out for our brothers and sisters in need. That is why we freely give, to become more like Christ and less like us.

With this in mind, let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you so much for entrusting us to be stewards of the resources you have blessed us with. Thank you for also being the perfect example of what it means to freely give. You gave it all, even your life, for us sinners in desperate need of a Savior. Help us to have a generous heart that freely gives to others that are in need, as well. When fear or greed try to creep in telling us to hold on to our money or possessions for ourselves, I pray that you would remind us that you refresh those that refresh others. In Jesus name. Amen

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