You rarely notice it happening—but if it ever ceased, the whole world would notice. It happens in the mountain streams—they generously pour themselves into lakes only to be replenished by rain. What they give always comes back. It happens in the clouds above you. These rolling giants bountifully bless the earth with rainfall only to be refilled with the rising mists of evaporation. What they give away is always given back.

This is not just the way things work in nature—this is how God’s economy of blessing works as well. Believers are blessed to be a blessing to others, and blessings come to those who bless. As Solomon assured, “Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days” (Eccl. 11:1, KJV). Proverbs similarly states, “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed” (Prov. 19:17). Jesus also taught the same truth: “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38).

Believers can bless others through burden-bearing, need-meeting, forgiveness-giving, truth-telling, and countless other Spirit-empowered actions. And those who do experience a “boomerang effect,” wherein God richly replenishes what is given—either in this life or the next (Matt. 19:29). It happens like this: “Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered” (Prov. 11:25). Paul also spoke of this divine pattern in 2 Corinthians 9:6, “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” God notices when you lavishly give your time, talents, and treasures to others, and that’s when He opens the windows of heaven to “pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need” (Mal. 3:10).

The hoarding Christian who never gives becomes like the stagnant and lifeless Dead Sea, which only receives water but never gives it. A garden plant heavy with fruit will collapse and wither if it doesn’t release what it bears. A soaking sponge never wrung out will eventually grow moldy. A well never drawn might be full, but it quenches no one’s thirst with its water locked away. Likewise, stashing away and stockpiling our blessings willfully interrupts God’s cycle of blessing, resulting in spiritual decay, disintegration, and dryness.

Of course, we do not give just to get. We give to please the Lord, not to manipulate His process of blessing. In obedience to God, the widow woman from Zarephath gave Elijah the little oil and flour she had left, and God provided her with a feast of bread, and the resurrection of her son (1 Kings 17:8-24). Mary of Bethany anointed Christ with a costly jar of perfume to honor her Lord, not to gain a blessing—and yet, she is honored every time the gospel is preached (Mark 14:3-9). We give for the glory of God and the good of others. But often, when blessing others, we are blessed all over again.

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, and their three dogs, Susie, Aries, and Dot. Brandon and Dakota are also foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and a religious columnist for the Advance Yeoman newspaper in Ballard County, Kentucky. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. His columns are also featured in the Times-Argus newspaper of Central City, Kentucky, West Kentucky News of western Kentucky, and the online blog, Reforming the Heart.