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Share with the poor

Cover of a C.H. Spurgeon publication, with his portrait.

Today's Devotional

A generous person will prosper. Proverbs 11:25 NIV.

If I desire to flourish in soul, I must not hoard up my stores, but must distribute to the poor. To be close and niggardly is the world’s way to prosperity, but it is not God’s way, for he saith, “There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, and it tendeth to poverty.” Faith’s way of gaining is giving. I must try this again and again; and I may expect that as much of prosperity as will be good for me will come to me as a gracious reward for a liberal course of action.

Of course, I may not be sure of growing rich. I shall be fat, but not too fat. Too great riches might make me as unwieldy as corpulent persons usually are, and cause me the dyspepsia of worldliness, and perhaps bring on a fatty degeneration of the heart. No, if I am fat enough to be healthy, I may well be satisfied ; and if the Lord grants me a competence, I may be thoroughly content.

But there is mental and spiritual fatness which I would greatly covet; and these come as the result of generous thoughts to wards my God, his church, and my fellow men. Let me not stint, lest I starve my heart. Let me be bountiful, and liberal; for so shall I be like my Lord. He gave himself for me: shall I grudge him anything?

About the author and the source

Charles Spurgeon (1834–1892) was an eminent and successful preacher who often suffered deep depression. In days of darkness, he clung to God’s promises. One of his most-beloved books consisted of daily readings based on promises that faith could rely upon. Here is the January 9th entry from the Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith.

Spurgeon, Charles H. The Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith. New York: American Tract Society, n.d.

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