Day 14

January 24

One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.  Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. - Proverbs 11:24-25

Thank you, dear faithful partners, as we labor in this journey together.  As we fast and pray, I am encouraged by the preacher’s wisdom in Proverbs 11.  My father shared a story about an uncle who served as a commander in the “Secret War” in Laos. Like so many of his comrades, he had a home at the army base and a home in the capital. When he was away from his home in the capital, he would open his residence for people to come and get precious water from the well he had dug. His fellow commanders, on the other hand, boarded up their residence when they were at the army headquarters.  

When my uncle returned, his well had fresh water because the locals used the well, so it was being replenished with fresh water.  The people who boarded up their residences came back to find foul-smelling water. It took many days to get the water refreshed. Real life proved the word of God to be true. My uncle was generous with his residence and allowed the locals to use his water freely. He did not run out of water. He had clean water whenever he was back in town. Meanwhile, his friends had to spend days cleaning their wells so the water could be refreshed.  

In consideration of the theme “freely give,” we must understand that to give, first we must have. My uncle was able to give the water freely because he had or he held ownership of the water. What do you have that you can give freely? You can only give what you have. If you have life in Jesus, then you can give Jesus to others. If you have found joy in Jesus, then you can give joy to others. You cannot give what you do not have.  What is God leading you to freely give? May we be a blessing to all in our interactions and encounters with people. Then, as we water, we too will be watered.  

Prayer:

Abba Father, thank you for showing us the way to your heart. May we be a people that freely give. What you have given and entrusted to us; we truly want to freely and openly give to others. Help us to give, knowing we will have still more. In Jesus Mighty Name, amen.

Stuvy Yang

International Worker in Southeast Asia