Generosity brings blessings

There's a concept in popular culture that is often used to express the importance of carrying forward good things. The phrase, which you've probably heard many times, is "pay it forward."

To pay it forward means to take some blessing you've received or positive action by someone else towards you, and in turn do likewise for someone else. The idea is that rather than paying someone back, you pay it forward to another.

It's a great principle, and one supported by Scripture. We are blessed to be a blessing to others.

Here in Proverbs though, we see another element of this chain of blessings. When you are generous with others, like sharing your food with the poor, God says you will be blessed as a result. Notice that the generosity in this case comes before the blessing.

When God sees you using your money, your wealth, to benefit others, he will bless you. This doesn't necessarily - or in fact usually - mean a financial blessing, but your generosity will result in blessing in some form.

One way of combining the two concepts of generosity bringing blessing and the "pay it forward" principle, is to see yourself as a conduit of blessing. God blesses you and you pay these blessings forward to others in need.

This in turn leads to God blessing you further so that you can once again be a blessing.