The Gift of Giving

One person gives freely, yet gains even more…
A generous person will prosper…
Whoever refreshes others will be refreshed… - Proverbs 11:14-25

Thousands of years before psychologists studied the benefit of helping others, the book of Proverbs was on to this deep truth about life.

These sorts of passages may have been misused to promote a ‘health and wealth’ gospel (as in, “Donate to my ministry and God will give you a new car!”). But there’s nothing here that says that the gains, the prospering, and the refreshment will be financial. instead, woven throughout Proverbs is the clear teaching that generosity is a deeply human trait - and when we’re more generous, we’re more human.

Jesus referred to himself ‘the Human One’ more than any other way (traditionally it’s been rendered ‘the Son of Man’ but that’s probably not fair to the Greek). So to become more human is to become more like Christ. And giving is inherently part of that journey towards being human.

Have you experienced an unusual joy when you’ve given of yourself, your time, your money, or your gifts to someone else?