"One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty."

I came across this verse today in Proverbs 11. What is the connection between generosity and wealth? What is the connection between ownership and poverty? What is the difference between living with a spirit of open hands and living with a spirit of grasping and clinging?

Isn't it true that the more we give away the less we will have? Isn't it true that the more we can hang on to the more we will have? Come on, that's simple understanding, simple math, simply true - or is it...

But what if this verse is true? It seems to be saying the exact opposite. Let's look at the next verse:

"A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." The original Hebrew for generous is blessing, and the word translated man is really soul. Therefore, "a soul of blessing" will prosper. Also, the word refreshes is taken from "to water". If we choose to let water flow from us, out of a soul that desires to bless, then the refreshing water flows to us as well. Jesus said that the one who believes in him, streams of living water will flow from within them.

If you have a stream of water that is literally damned up, the water begins to stagnate and become unhealthy. The way to correct it is to undamn the water, which opens a flow of fresh water to that pool.

These verses describe a flow. A spirit of generosity is a heart that desires to step into the flow. By doing so fresh blessing and refreshing water continues to flow to that same heart. Notice, this has nothing to do with a false teaching of a prosperity gospel. A heart that gives simply to get is not a heart operating out of a spirit of generosity. A soul that desires to bless is what opens the flow, and the purpose of the flow is to continue to bless.

A spirit of poverty clings to what one has and is afraid of losing it. The problem is that the very act of clinging stops up the flow. The word for poverty in Hebrew is derived from the word lack. Therefore, the spirit of poverty inflicts poverty.

Out of a spirit of generosity flows a wellspring of life.