Look to Give, Not to Gain (Proverbs 22:9)
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Proverbs 22:9
Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed,
for he shares his bread with the poor.
This verse gives us a window into the generous heart of God – and the kind of heart He wants to form in us.
It starts with the eyes.
A bountiful eye is a way of seeing the world – a way of looking at people, not through the lens of “What can I get?” but “What can I give?”
Give, give, give.
Galatians 1:4: Jesus ‘gave himself for our sins’...
John 3:16: ‘For God so loved the world he gave…’
Like our Maker and Savior, to be a Christian means to live a life marked by giving. The eye that once looked out for its own well-being now, through the work of the Spirit, has become – as this verse says – ‘bountiful’, ‘looking out for the interests of others’, seeking to give oneself away in honoring the Lord.
Giving in a broad sense is a distinct mark of a man or woman of God. They are constantly, day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, seeking to pour themselves out, to give their lives away, because the work of Christ means everything to them. They can love because He loved and give because He gave.
And this isn’t because we Christians are nice people. It’s because we’ve received something too good not to share. We’ve been given the Bread of Life – and now we offer bread to the hungry, both physically and spiritually. We can share our bread with the poor, lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters and our spouses, and we can give and give and give because that takes after the life of our Lord.
And here’s the contrast:
Our world says to take; Christ says to give.
The world builds empires. Jesus washed feet.
He came to serve, not be served, and He calls us to take up our cross and follow Him, to ‘lose our life for His sake’ and thus save it.
So how’s your eye this Sunday morning?
Is your eye looking to give – or looking to gain?
How can you share your bread today – physically or spiritually?
Let’s pray that the Lord would help us be givers, not just of material bread, but of the Bread of Life, laying down our lives and sharing the gospel with others.
