Proverbs 11-12

A couple of proverbs that I liked

Proverbs 24-26:

²⁴ One man gives freely, yet gains even more;
another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.

²⁵ A generous man will prosper;
he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

²⁶ People curse the man who hoards grain,
but blessing crowns him who is willing to sell.

Generosity is a principle that is advocated throughout scripture. It is just one of the many things about which the Bible's advice goes dead-against our common sense. You would think "If I give everything away, I won't have anything left." It's easy to recognize that I do this with money, but I realize that I am in the habit of being stingy not just with my money, but with my time, my friendship, who I will allow myself to care about. I think the principle of generosity applies just as much in these areas as it does when it comes to finance.

One paradoxical I'm reminded of is when it comes to spiritual hunger. The more God you get in your life, the more you want him. But if you don't feel like you need him at all, chances are its because you've drifted so far away that you've lost the ability to notice how empty you've become. It's almost as if once we get a taste of God, we can't get enough. But if we get used to eating the dry crumbs of this life, we learn to do without.

I'm also reminded of Jesus' teaching in Matthew 16:25

For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.

When we try so hard to hold onto the things of this life, we completely lose our ability to notice that there's a whole eternity out there waiting for us. It's only when we stop fixating on the things of this world and utterly fixate ourselves on Jesus that we also have our eyes fixed on heaven where he is.

I hope that I can learn to be more generous and stop clinging onto what this life has to offer, but instead fix my eyes on Jesus and eternity.