Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed.

The Bible has a lot to say about being generous. One of its main teachings on the subject is that the generous will be blessed for their generosity. This is especially true, as our verse for today points out, when the object of the generosity is the poor. When the righteous give to the poor, it is as if the Lord borrows the money from us with a promise to repay. In other words, the Lord personally guarantees that we won’t lose anything by being generous.

The Lord not only makes sure we won’t lose anything, He also sees to it that we will reap a bountiful harvest; “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully,” (2 Corinthians 9:6).

You don’t have to be rich, however, in order to be commended for generosity. “Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, ‘Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on,'” (Luke 21:1-4). It’s not the amount you give that impresses the Lord, but the percentage.

Failure to give generously does not actually preserve wealth. Proverbs says, “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and the one who waters will himself be watered,” (Proverbs 11:24-25).

Furthermore, our giving reaps a harvest in the next life as well as this life. Paul writes this: “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life,” (1 Timothy 6:17-19).

Finally, coupling our generosity with a cheerful attitude pleases the Lord. “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver,” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

When you have opportunity, give generously; bless others as you have been blessed by God, giving glory to Him.

By John Huisman, friend of Bible League International