Proverbs 11:25 A generous person will be enriched, and the one who provides water for others will himself be watered.
Our family just returned from a wild life safari at Lake Nakuru park. Though five fresh water streams feed the lake, the water is toxic. It has no outlet. Due to additional rainfall in the last few years, the lake is twice as large as it once was and has consumed everything near its shores. The main route that encircles the lake is now under water. From that road, visitors to the park would easily spot leopards resting in the shade of the plush Acacia forest that surrounded the lake. That idyllic, African forest is now a ghoulish setting of dead trunks rising out of the bitter water.
Considering lake Nakuru, two ideas were impressed upon me:
On the most basic level, a body of water requires some type of outlet or it eventually becomes toxic. When the environment of the lake is rich in minerals or other substances, the situation is compounded. Even an abundance of a good thing, without an outlet, becomes toxic. In our lives, this specifically relates to the receiving and giving of material wealth. God told Abraham that he would be blessed so that he could become a blessing. We receive, not merely to consume those blessings, but to be a blessing to others.
When there is no outlet, the increase of water doesn’t cleanse a toxic lake; rather it increases its size and appetite. The lake isn’t satisfied and transformed, instead it destroys even more than it did before. One would think those who have acquired great wealth would easily say “enough is enough” and begin to give. The reality is that the more we have, the harder it is to begin giving. “Charity” for many who are wealthy isn’t about giving, but about gaining influence or control. Though it may be hard to fathom, charity has become big business. For many toxic lives, charity rather than being a flowing, purifying outlet, is merely the expansion of the shoreline of their personal kingdoms – consuming and destroying.
In the toxic culture of 2020, many are asking, “Why doesn’t he give more?” Or “Why can’t I have more?” The world’s wisdom says the rich person should be generous. God’s wisdom says the generous person will be enriched. In Christ’s kingdom, we are challenged to let the smallest blessing flow to others. Giving isn’t only a blessing to the one who receives; it is a safeguard to the giver – keeping our hearts fresh and pure. One who provides water to others will be watered. Out of you will flow rivers of living water! Don’t hold back. Don’t let the blessings turn toxic. Trust Him, open your heart, and let it flow!