Refresh!

Refresh!

The generous man [is a source of blessing and] shall be prosperous and enriched, And he who waters will himself be watered [reaping the generosity he has sown]. Proverbs 11:25 AMP

Cause and effect; sowing and reaping; action and reaction. You get the idea. There is nothing I do that is without consequences. In fact, not sowing anything also means not reaping anything. There is really nothing like sitting on the fence, not committed to anything. That in itself is a decision with consequences. 

We see a man called generous, which means that there are other people who are not referred to as generous. Being generous means showing a readiness to give more of something than is strictly necessary or expected. In other words, if I do the usual and the normal, I will be fine, but if I will claim the blessings indicated here, I have to do the extra, go to further lengths than the usual.

And it is always more than money. We give to people so they can revere and celebrate us; we show off our giving so we become the focus, not the One who gave us the resources in the first place. When I understand the right spirit behind giving, I open myself to awesome miracles. It is only in God that a man can be generous yet become prosperous and enriched. 

It is only in God that a man can give all of himself, yet get back more than he can keep to himself. Haven't you seen generous people who just can't stop giving, because they seem to have more than enough? It isn't actually that they do have more than enough, but the heart of generosity places the other person's interests over and above my temporary discomfort. 

Quite important to emphasize here that the heart is the seat of all that the life produces. If a man is seen as generous, check his heart. If a man is the opposite, still check his heart. No matter what you see on the outside, the heart is the place of revelation, revealing a man's pursuits and priorities. How's my heart? How's yours? 

Another version quotes today's extract as follows: The liberal soul shall be made fat; And he that watereth shall be watered also himself. It is not by myself that the increase will come, but the God who sees what is done and understands the motives behind the action is the One who will MAKE fat. I can scheme my way to the top, but it is God who blesses my labour with His favour. 

If He does not Make me fat, nothing any man does will make me fat. If He does not bless, nothing man does will change the story. Being made fat will not make you proud, as long as you never forget the One who brought the fatness. And when you are fat, your old space becomes insufficient; new and expanded territories beckon. 

And watering others has to do with refreshing, washing the feet, doing the things most people don't have the time and the patience to do. The picture that comes to mind is the person who has to stay back, mostly away from the public eye, to water and nourish the seed that has been sown. Watering demands time, effort and patience, and cannot be done with a spirit of pride. 

Can I lay myself down for others to walk over me? Can I be patient with people, nurturing them with care until they bud and blossom and can start bearing fruit for others to benefit? Interestingly, you would think that the person who waters has sufficient resources to keep watering, but God understands how life works. If a man is always giving and is not replenished, he may run out of resources. God then raises other people, who also have water, to nourish and water back the one who has been watering. 

You get a chain of people who are watering each other, with none drying up due to neglect or lack of resources. If I do not spend myself for other people, how can I create room for God to bring increase into my life? If there is no room, how does God further enrich me? If I do not spend what He has given me, how do my hands receive even more to invest in people? 

The message then is: if I will enjoy God's increase, I must first decrease. If I will have room for more of God, there has to be less of what is me. Whatever it is I do, I must be clear about this: there are consequences. With God, nothing is wasted. If He says I should do it, He already has in place a structure for blessing and increase. Whatever God demands from me, heaven has more than enough resources to replace and replenish. But it starts with me: my heart. Am I willing to lay down all I hold, NOT OWN, before the One who actually owns everything? If He controls it, He commands it. If He commands it, He can make it a blessing. His time of favour is here.