An old proverb goes like this: “If you heap manure into a pile, it only causes a stink, but if you spread it out, it causes things to grow.” There is an important principle underlying this proverb. Hold tightly to things, and you will always want more. Give things away, and you will never have any needs. Solomon shows that living in the Increase takes a person who freely gives.
Proverbs 11:24
“There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want.”
Goes Against Common Sense
This proverb goes against all common sense. How can you possibly increase what you have by scattering? One would think that you increase your wealth by saving, but Solomon tells us that if we want to increase what we have, we need to scatter, or give away, what we possess right now. Think about it. No farmer harvests a crop he doesn’t plant. He must scatter the seed and allow it to grow to produce the bounty he needs to make money. When we freely give of what we have, it has a way of coming back to us.
Don’t Be Selfish
The selfish person withholds what he has and even cheats those who are justly due what they are owed. An example of this type is one who always asks for a discount or tells a trade person they are too expensive. Solomon warns that these people will always be in need because they are greedy. Their thinking is that if they pay less, they have more, but in reality, it will cost them more.
Living in the Increase
Living in the Increase means that you are benefitting from your generosity. Your simple act of blessing someone in the past is coming back on you ten or one hundredfold. Jesus wants you to be someone who looks at what they have been given as a blessing from the Lord and is used to bless others while trusting God to provide what you need. Make the choice today to be one who scatters.