Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Wisdom from Proverbs”
Our Bible verse for today: “One person gives freely, yet gains more; another withholds what is right, only to become poor. A generous person will be enriched, and the one who gives a drink of water will receive water.” Proverbs 11:24-25 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “The law of Sowing and Reaping is a Biblical reality.”
We’re only in May but this morning my thoughts are on Christmas – specifically the story “A Christmas Carol” and especially the contrast between the two main characters Ebenezer Scrooge and Bob Cratchit. Scrooge was a rich man who greedily clung to his money. He refused to share it with others or to even spend it on himself. The man was a miser who lived so sparingly that he couldn’t bear to spend any money at all. And despite his great wealth, Scrooge was a miserable old man who was intensely unhappy.
Bob Cratchit was a poor man in terms of money and possessions, but he was generous with what he had and he was also an upbeat and happy man. He seemed to genuinely enjoy life despite his impoverished circumstances.
Scrooge was rich but miserable. Bob was poor but happy. Scrooge had lots of money that he refused to share. Bob had little money but he cheerfully shared what he did have. Their respective examples give us some insight into God’s law of sowing and reaping. In its purest form the law simply holds that if you bless others, God will bless you. Sow a blessing and you will reap a blessing, but sow bitterness and you will reap bitterness. Be nice to people and they will be nice to you, but if you are mean to people then they will be mean back. You reap what you sow.
Again the examples of Bob and Ebenezer help us to understand. Bob blessed others. He blessed them with kindness, he blessed them with good cheer, he blessed them by sharing what little he had with those in need, and God blessed him in return. He had a life filled with love, he had a cheerful disposition, his basic needs for food, clothes, and housing were met, and by all measures he was a happy person.
Ebenezer, on the other hand, sowed bitterness. He was a cranky old man, he was mean to people, he took unfair advantage of others, he refused to share from his riches with those in need, just to name a few examples. And in return he was a deeply unhappy person who lived a miserable little life. He sowed seeds of bitterness in his dealings with others, and he therefore experienced bitterness in his own life.
When Solomon writes in Proverbs 11:25 of a generous person being enriched, he did not necessarily mean that if you give a dollar to a needy person God will find a way to give you back two dollars (although that does sometimes happen). Instead Solomon meant that if you bless others, God will find ways to bless you in return. And God’s best blessings are usually spiritual rather than material. For instance, when a generous person blesses others they usually end up having an increased experience of the fruit of the Spirit in their own lives, “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23.
The law of sowing and reaping is a Biblical reality. You cannot out-give God and you cannot out-bless God. You bless others and He will bless you.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 