Contemplative Bible Reading

Proverbs 11:24-25 (New Living Translation)

24 Give freely and become more wealthy;
be stingy and lose everything.

25 The generous will prosper;
those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

We live in the sharing economy. Wikipedia is the world’s source of all knowledge. It costs nothing. It was and is being written by volunteers who write it for the love of sharing knowledge. Isn’t this new idea wonderful?

Well, maybe the sharing economy isn’t such a new idea. Hence, these Proverbs. The writer shows the difference between freely giving what God has given and holding it tightly in my clenched fist.

Giving blesses the receiver. Giving blesses the giver. God blesses the giver, receiver, and the gift.

This isn’t new. This isn’t complicated. All I have to do is ease the muscles that clench my fist. Why is easing so difficult?