“Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.” Proverbs 11:25
The Law of Return: The Spiritual Economics of Gratitude and Giving
In both the seen and unseen worlds, a divine law is at work—a law as universal as gravity and as just as sowing and reaping. It is the Law of Return: the spiritual principle that gratitude, when expressed through giving, completes the cycle of blessing. This law reminds us that while salvation and truth are given freely, they are not without cost. They invite a response.
Salvation Is Free, Yet Not Without Cost
Ephesians 2:8–9 affirms that salvation is a gift of grace: “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” Yet Jesus says in Luke 9:23, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” The tension is instructive: grace is unearned, but discipleship demands everything.
The Principle of Reciprocity
The Torah, the Prophets, and the Apostolic Writings all affirm that spiritual benefit calls for spiritual response:
- Galatians 6:7: “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
- Proverbs 11:25: “Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.”
- Galatians 6:6: “Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.”
These verses frame reciprocity as a spiritual law. To receive and not respond is to break the cycle, to interrupt the flow.
Wisdom Is Bought
“Buy the truth, and do not sell it—wisdom, instruction, and understanding” (Proverbs 23:23). This verse invites us to value spiritual insight as one would treasure a costly gem. Truth is offered freely, but it must be bought with time, attention, obedience, and yes, sometimes sacrifice.
David understood this when he said in 2 Samuel 24:24: “I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” The value of the offering is not in its size, but in its cost to the heart of the giver.
The Thank Offering: A Pattern of Completion
The Torah illustrates this law through the Korban Todah (Thank Offering). When someone received a blessing—deliverance, healing, answered prayer—they brought an offering. But it was not private. It was shared:
- With the altar,
- With the priests,
- With the community.
This public act of gratitude completed the circle of blessing. It returned honor to God and blessed those who served at His altar.
Give to Seal the Blessing
Jesus taught, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over” (Luke 6:38). Giving does not “pay for” a blessing—it seals it. It is not a transaction; it is participation in a divine cycle.
The Spiritual Law of Return
“There is no such thing as a free lunch”—not because God demands payment, but because truth cannot be possessed without investment. As the rabbis teach in Pirkei Avot 5:22, “Turn it and turn it, for everything is in it… for there is no better portion than it.”
Spiritual economics tells us: what you invest in, multiplies within you. What you honor, honors you. What you value, grows. The Law of Return demands more than gratitude in words; it asks for action.
Conclusion: Give a Thank Offering
If you have been nourished by spiritual truth, consider the ancient pattern: give a Thank Offering. Not as a fee, but as an act of love. Your offering honors the Source, sustains the teaching, and blesses others.
Gratitude, when expressed, multiplies blessing. And in that sacred exchange, you yourself are enriched.
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