Proverbs 11:25
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The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.
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Generosity pays! Here is a secret of wisdom, if you believe Jehovah is God of heaven and earth and the Bible is true. If you do not believe, then the proverb is not for you. Generosity pays! If you are liberal in your giving to the Lord and to the poor, He will pay you back liberally. And He can out give you more easily than you can say 10 - 2 = 13.
This proverb is tightly connected to the one before it, which reads, "There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty" (11:24). Throwing away your money - to the right causes in the name of the Lord - will bring increase! Restraining your giving will bring you to poverty!
The blessed God has been most generous to mankind, and He rewards men that show a similar generosity to others (19:7; 22:9; 28:27). You can get ahead financially by learning to give generously, for the Lord will bless you generously. This is the message of the proverb. Of course, such wisdom is far beyond any business school or economics class in the world, for they reject the existence of God and His supernatural effect on finances.
God has blessed you. Therefore, you are to give liberally to the poor, even if they are leaving you (Deut 15:14)! The Lord will observe your giving and treat you accordingly. Paul wrote, "But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully" (II Cor 9:6). If you are generous, He is able to pour you out an abundant return (Eccl 11:1-6; Is 32:8; Mal 3:10; Luke 6:38).
A strong measure of a righteous man, a man going to heaven, is his generous spirit in giving to others (Is 58:6-12; I John 3:16-19). Job was such a man. He took gentle and kind care of his servants (Job 29:11-17; 31:13-22). And God blessed him greatly! If you take care of those needing financial help, the Lord will take care of you (Ps 41:1-3). Wise men will lay hold of eternal life by purposing to give (Matt 25:31-46; I Tim 6:17-19).
God does not miss or forget your giving (Heb 6:10). He will reward it. The Corinthians were liberal givers, and Paul promised God's blessing on them for it (II Cor 9:8-11). And there was the further effect of those receiving the charity being exceedingly thankful to God for the Corinthians (II Cor 9:12-14), which is not a bad reward either!
Giving must be done cheerfully, for grudging charity does not count (II Cor 9:7). If you know anything of God's great payment for your redemption, giving cheerfully to others should not be a problem (II Cor 8:9). What liberal giving will you devise today (Is 32:8)?
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