In our ongoing series, By God’s Design, we’ve been exploring how living according to God’s plan brings flourishing and fulfillment. This week, we delved into Proverbs 11:24-25 to discover a profound truth about generosity: Financial blessing follows financial generosity.

God Fills Open Hands

We often think, “When I have more, I’ll give,” but Proverbs teaches us that giving actually comes before having more. It’s a counterintuitive truth, but we see in the Word that God fills open hands. Think about it briefly: it makes sense that it’d be hard for Him to pour out blessings on those with closed fists. Proverbs 11:24 says, “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.” It seems backward, but it’s God’s way of reminding us that holding onto everything tightly doesn’t lead to more; instead, it leads to lack.

The principle is clear: When we give freely, we make room for God to bless us in ways we couldn’t even imagine.

God’s Math is Just Different

Our logical minds often struggle with this concept because God’s math isn’t the same as ours. We might think giving means we will have less, but God operates differently. He multiplies what’s given away, often turning scarcity into abundance. Proverbs 11:25 reinforces this by saying, “Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.” This isn’t just about finances—though it certainly includes them. It’s about experiencing the full spectrum of God’s blessings in every area of our lives.

The Rewards of Generosity

While I certainly don’t understand how God’s math works, here are four ways I see that being generous brings rewards:

1. Giving Motivates Us to Make More Money: Setting goals around giving shifts our mindset from scarcity to opportunity. We begin to see ways to be wise with our finances and generate more.
2. Giving Teaches Us to Live on Less Than We Make: Generosity forces us to evaluate our spending and prioritize what truly matters, helping us cultivate a disciplined lifestyle.
3. Giving Motivates Us to Look at the Numbers: Proverbs 27:23 says, “Know well the condition of your flocks.” Giving encourages us to manage our finances well, fostering stewardship and intentionality.
4. Giving Leads to Generosity in Other Areas of Life: When we open our hands financially, we often find ourselves more open to being generous with our time, talents, and resources. People are drawn to those who are generous, making them more inclined to do business or build relationships with them.

Application: Give and Be Blessed

The call to give and be blessed isn’t just about money—it’s about trusting God’s design. The challenge isn’t merely to give but to see giving as an integral part of a healthy financial life. As we open our hands and share what we have, we’re positioned to receive God’s blessings in return. And often, that’s when we see God move in incredible ways.

Faith: Believe, Act, Then See God Move

Many of us want to see God move before we take action, but the truth is, faith requires us to believe, act, and then see God move. It’s in that step of faith—when we choose to give even when it feels risky or counterintuitive—that we experience God’s faithfulness. When Anna and I had to prepare financially for the adoption of our daughter, Faith Ann, we didn’t have all the resources upfront. But as we believed, acted, and took steps of faith, we saw God move mightily and provide in ways we couldn’t have orchestrated ourselves.

Trusting the Gospel: From Stingy to Selfless 

At the heart of all this is the gospel. Jesus Christ exemplified the ultimate act of generosity by giving His life for us. He didn’t tithe His blood; He gave it all. Through His sacrificial gift, He was blessed with the nations as His inheritance. In the same way, when we open our hands in generosity, we align ourselves with God’s heart and position ourselves for blessing. It’s only by trusting in the gospel that we can move from being stingy to becoming truly selfless.

Final Challenge: Trust God, and Step Out in Generosity

The Bible says in Malachi 3:10, “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse… and thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.” It’s not about giving out of guilt or obligation but about trusting God’s design for your life. As you step out in faith, give, and trust in His plan, you’ll discover the abundant blessings that come from living by God’s design.

-Andrew Hopper, Lead Pastor

Watch the full sermon from week four of our “By God’s Design” series below: