Walking with the Wise #102: Give to Get

“Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,

and one who waters will himself be watered.”
—Proverbs 11:25

God has blessed us so that we might be a blessing to others. And God has made it so that the more we bless others, the more blessed we will be. As Christians, we are to be salt and light (cf. Matthew 5:13)—displaying God’s saving and sanctifying work of grace in our hearts through our deeds of righteousness.

If we bless others, God will bless us. If we teach others the truths of God’s Word, we will get the blessing of seeing their growth. Paul phrased it this way: “One who is taught the word must share all good things with the one who teaches”—Galatians 6:6. Whenever a person is doing what God made them to do (i.e., in some capacity serving others), there will be blessing received from those who have been served. Or, as Jesus put it, “And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them”—Luke 6:31.

Are you needing encouragement? Are you serving others? Christ came not to be served, but to serve, and we are to follow His example in serving others. As we give ourselves to others, we will experience the joy of doing what God Himself has done in Christ Jesus. And we will discover that as we do so, God will begin to bless us in ways that cannot easily be quantified. God will begin to nourish and strengthen us, and we will experience the joy of knowing and experiencing Him in ways that come through giving ourselves to others and not in any other way.

May the Lord our God enable us to give ourselves to others as Jesus did, for His glory and our joy. Amen.