Generosity and Hard Work: A Key Theme in Proverbs

Anyone who has taken the time to read the book of Proverbs has come to terms with the incredible amount of ancient data on the power and necessity of generosity and hard work.  I want to take a moment and look at two of these verses and talk about their implications. 

    Proverbs 11:25, "Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered".

    Proverbs 12:27, "Whoever is slothful will not roast his game, but the diligent man will get precious wealth".

1. With the measure you use it will be measured back to you pressed down and overflowing.  Recently, I had an experience that taught me the truth of scripture that him who waters will himself be watered.  I was sitting in Sunday School and as the teacher talked he began to cough and say something like, "I wish I had some water".  Now, I don't really like to put myself in a positive light here because there have been many times that I was not considerate, but on this day I thought about my Sunday School teacher and knew I had to go get him some water.  So, I briefly departed the classroom, went down to the common area, and reached in the church refrigerator for a cool bottle of water.  I promptly brought it back and gave it to the teacher and was not surprised to find that I also was watered. The topic that Sunday was on intermarriage in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah.  The men were to put away their foreign wives from the land and to forsake them because they had abandoned the covenant of their God.  It was a reminder to me as a single/divorced man that I have a duty to marry only in the Lord if I so desire.  I got watered that day and my Sunday school teacher got watered that day because we followed the principle here stated, "whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered".  

 

     Think with me for a moment of the Samaritan woman at the Jacob's well in John chapter 4.  Jesus is there sitting at the well, fatigued and thirsty and a Samaritan woman comes up to him and he asks her to give him something to drink.  In exchange for this little bit of water that only quinches Jesus' physical thirst, Jesus in return promises to give her living water.  The principle exists that she watered the Lord of Glory and He in return brought salvation not only to her, but to a multitude of Samaritans.  Jesus argues elsewhere that he who gives one of the "little ones" even a cup of water will by no means lose his reward for what you have done unto the least person you have also done unto Christ.  

     This is a great encouragement for us to give to the poor and needy, even just a cool glass of water.  Even a wealthy man broken down on the side of the road and thus separated from his riches is for a time a poor and beggarly creature in need of the succor of a stranger and a drink of water.  How much more the homeless man who shows up at your church function or calls upon you in the street?  God is giving you an opportunity not only to water and bless the homeless man, but an opportunity for you yourself to be blessed.  We should never miss out on an opportunity to be generous with our time, talents, and resources because we never know when God will show up and as they say "show out".  

     2.  When I worked at Bojangles there were many days that I found myself doing drudgery work.  I would pray on my way into work at 3:45 am., "Lord, one more day to Heaven".  It was such a difficult job.  There were days that I went in and the night shift had not done their due diligence.  One morning in particular I remember showing up to work and the dishes had not been washed and I couldn't even begin to get my shift started until all the dishes were cleaned.  On top of that no one showed up for the morning shift that day, but me.  I tried to call all the other managers, but no one answered me that early in the morning.  So, I packed my things and went home until I got word from the district manager what else I was to do.  To make a long story short, there many such occasions I got stuck doing other people's work.  Now, understand, that I was promoted to shift leader at Bojangles because I implemented the most basic of principles in my work: "the hand of the diligent will rule".  I prayed that God would help me to worship Him in the midst of a chaotic environment and lo and behold I was promoted.  My supervisor told me "you now have superiority" and the district manager called me his, "armor bearer".  How did I get promoted and be given these honors of superiority and preeminence?  It was through careful hard work.  Now, where ever I go I can put on my resume that I was truly in a managerial position because I had to earn it. 

         Along with this proverb of ruling is also a similar proverb about wealth: "the diligent man will get precious wealth".  Now, granted that just because you are hardworking does not mean that you will automatically be rich, but I do have to point out that for most of us in the West our lifestyles are far more wealthy than the global standard.  Even someone like me who works part time and doesn't own a car, I do have a nice phone, a nice theological library, a nice computer, nice clothes and plenty of food to eat.  Much of this is simply the grace of God, but I would not have these things if I did not work in some capacity. 

           For example, at one time I owned a precious Italian sterling silver figaro chain that costs me around 200$.  Believe me when I say that it was a precious piece of wealth to me because I washed cars that summer and earned a beautiful piece of jewelry.  The proverbs teach us a slack hand 'tends towards poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich".  If we want to be about the business of generosity, having something to give and we want to have nice things in life we're going to have to apply some amount of hard work to the situation.  God wants to bless us!  He wants us to be generous, so He can be generous with us!  He wants us to work hard, so we don't have to live in abject poverty needlessly!