Happy New Year, All! We thought we would try something new this year – alongside our normal posts, we are going to give  a whirl at a daily devotional post. Hopefully soon there will be a special place for you to find them – but until then, they will just show up in the regular mix.

There is one who scatters, yet increases more;
And there is one who withholds more than is right,
But it leads to poverty.
 The generous soul will be made rich,
And he who waters will also be watered himself.

These verses are such a beautiful picture of God’s intention for His people to be givers. He loves to bless those who give, who scatter. God is not endorsing a tight fist, in fact, that is what He breaks with poverty. And of course He isn’t talking about simply giving money here. As mothers, we could simply substitute words like energy, love, joy, provision, interest, delight, time. Anything that we know we should give, and yet still want to keep for ourselves. But haven’t you ever spent a day trying to save your energy, trying to build up some joy for yourself? And yet – at the end of the day, that is not a dam that God wants us to have. He wants our rivers flowing fast – flowing furiously over waterfalls, splashing recklessly all around. He does not want us tending peaceful little ponds. The promise in these verses is that God will provide our tributaries. He wants us to rest in that, and to give freely what He has and is giving to us.

When we give what God has given us – when we scatter it recklessly – we are transformed (through His continued blessing) into a vehicle of His blessings for others. We become tributaries to what will become rivers of reckless giving. When we give beyond our apparent capacity – when we give of ourselves, of all that we have been given, we learn to rely on the provisions of God, and we know He is always capable of a rainstorm,  melting snowcaps, and springs that flow out of the driest of rocks.

He who waters will also be watered himself.

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