Paid Back With Interest

This is a mystical verse.
We are back in Proverbs, continuing our exploration of this book.

The one who is gracious to the poor lends to the LORD, and the LORD will repay him for his good deed. 

Proverbs 19:17 (NET)

How can that be?

God commands us in other places to be kind to those who have less then we do.  Some of those scriptures are:  Deuteronomy 15:7-8, Matthew 10:42, and Luke 6:38, to name a few.

He also tells us that He owns "the cattle on a thousand hills", which is a picturesque way of saying that He owns it all.

“Listen, my people, and I will speak;

I will testify against you, Israel:

I am God, your God.

8I bring no charges against you concerning your sacrifices

or concerning your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.

9I have no need of a bull from your stall

or of goats from your pens,

10for every animal of the forest is mine,

and the cattle on a thousand hills.

11I know every bird in the mountains,

and the insects in the fields are mine.

12If I were hungry I would not tell you,

for the world is mine, and all that is in it.

Psalm 50:7-12 (NIV)

So, ok, He owns it all.  I don't think any of you would dispute that.  Then, what is all this about us "lending" to the Lord when we help those who are struggling and suffering?!

I believe it has to do with "lending a hand".  God is, of course, Spirit.  We are His "hands and feet" when we do His will here on Earth.  Oh, He can certainly utilize angelic beings whenever He wants; and, He does, usually unseen.  However, when we obey Him by ministering to "the poor" (which can be defined as anyone who needs our help), then we are lending Him a hand by being His instruments of blessing.  He works through us in this physical domain to bless others.  In that way we are "lending to the Lord".  We are lending our hearts and wills and bodies.

God promises that we cannot out-give Him.  Isn't that a beautiful promise?  In his book, James (1:17) describes Him as the ultimate Giver.... of "every good and perfect gift".  He will be a debtor to no man.  In fact, when we are generous with what we've been given, I don't believe God just "pays us back".  I firmly believe He pays us back...with interest!

Recently, I've been a little grumbly with God about my finances.  We recently had to purchase a new oven for the house, when I felt our old one should have lasted at least a couple more decades.  We have a flawed heating system in the basement, which we can't currently afford to replace....I have even sinned by questioning God as to where the financial abundance is that I am currently seeking.  Ridiculous!

This sinning of mine is because I've been focusing on only one type of "pay back", you see.  Living in our materialistic society here in the United States, it is easy to develop tunnel vision where "blessing" is concerned.  When I broaden it out to include blessings of all types, I realize how God has given me much, much, much more than I have ever given to others OR to Him.  And, that shift of focus rightly provokes waves of extreme gratitude, washing over my soul.

Here's a recent example of the Lord's largesse.
Later this week, I'll be traveling with a couple of friends very far from home. (My menfolk had no desire to go.)  I've been granted an opportunity to visit a part of the world I've never seen, one I've wanted to experience for a very long time.  The next time I post, it will be from 7 time zones away.  I look forward to sharing my experiences there with you here in the blog.