Overflow
March 3, 2024
Dr. Paul Cannings
On a farm, there was a pond and a little brook. It was in the rainy season, and both were full to the brim with clean, pure water. It is in the dry season, and the difference in their natures shows up. The stream, constantly flowing to water the banks all along its course, still keeps pure and sparkling; it continues to draw from the underground springs at its source and to give freely as it goes along. The pond, neither receiving nor giving, hoards its precious moisture only to have its waters become foul and stagnant. It is the same lesson our Lord was trying to teach His disciples: We gain by giving and lose by keeping. (Illustrations of Bible Truths Copyright © 1995, 1998 by AMG International, Inc.)
“Honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all your produce; so your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine.” (Proverbs 3:9-10).
Many years ago, a lad, 16 years old, was obliged to leave home because his father was too poor to support him. So, he trudged away with all worldly possessions in a bundle dangling from his hand, resolving as he journeyed to set up a business as a soap maker in New York.
When the country boy arrived in the big city, he found it hard to get work. Remembering his mother’s last words and the godly advice given him by the captain of a canal boat, the youth dedicated his life to God, determined to return to his Maker an honest tithe of every dollar he earned.
So, when his first dollar came in, the young man sacredly dedicated ten cents to the Lord. This he continued to do. And the dollars rolled in! Soon, this young man became a partner in a soap business, and when his partner died a few years later, he became the sole owner of the concern.
The prosperous businessman now instructed his bookkeeper to open an account with the Lord and credit it one-tenth of all his income. The business grew miraculously. The honest proprietor now dedicated two-tenths of his earnings, and then three-tenths, four-tenths, and finally, five-tenths. His sales increased proportionately to his generosity, so soon, his soap brand became a household word worldwide.
The late William Colgate was this man whom God so singly prospered in return for his faithfulness to his Maker. (from A Treasury of Bible Illustrations Copyright © 1995, 1998 by AMG International, Inc.)
“There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, and there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want. The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered.” (Proverbs 11:24-25)