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Prov 11:24

There is one who scatters, yet increases more;
And there is one who withholds more than is right,
But it leads to poverty.

"Are we going to talk about the "T" word, Tithing?"
Not really, because we all know that we should tithe, or give back to the Lord as He blesses us.
But if you think about what this verse is talking about, There is one who scatters, yet increases more , you start to think of a farmer who spreads his seed around to make the crop grow.
As soon as the farmer spreads the seed, he does not look for the crop to grow for some time, because he knows that it first must take root, then it will start to grow, and then eventually it will produce a crop of fruit or vegetables.
When we give back to the Lord though, we expect instantaneous results. We are not patient as the farmer is, knowing that it takes time for the seed to produce fruit,

James 5:7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.

Instead we want God to bless us NOW, we say, "Come on God, I tithed and gave to this ministry and even helped out someone in need, where are my blessing at?"
That is where patience comes in, as the farmer waits for the crop to grow, so we sometimes need to wait for God's blessing for us.

Or we could just say, "Forget it God, I'm keeping it all to myself." Let's look at the second have of this verse.

And there is one who withholds more than is right,
But it leads to poverty.

Think of this same farmer with the seed. Suppose he has that type of attitude and decides that he will just put the seed in his pockets, what will happen to those seeds? Nothing, no fruit or vegetables will grow because he decided to keep them all to himself. Sure, he could eat them, but how long will that last, maybe a day or two, but if he spreads the seed around then he could eat for the whole year, along with a bunch of other people.

So next time you are wondering if you should give back to the Lord or just keep it all to yourself, think of this proverb again and ask yourself, will I just keep it in my pocket, or spread God's blessing around and wait for God to give the increase when it's time.
Maybe not today, or tomorrow, or even a month from now, but know that God gives the increase, not man.

Psalms 67:5-6 5 Let the peoples praise You, O God;
Let all the peoples praise You.
6 Then the earth shall yield her increase;
God, our own God, shall bless us.

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