Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice. Proverbs 16:8
“There is a secret dew of God’s goodness and blessing upon him in his estate that others have not: and by all this you may see the meaning of that Scripture, Proverbs 16:8. A man that hath but a little, yet if he hath it with righteousness, it is better than a great deal without right; yea better than the great revenues of the wicked…Not only the good things that he hath, he hath the dew of God’s blessing in them, and they are very sweet to him; but all the afflictions, all the evils that do befall him, he can see love in them all, and can enjoy the sweetness of love in his afflictions, as well as in his mercies.”
Jeremiah Burroughs (1600-1646) in Sermon III on Philippians 4:11 in The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (London: W. Bentley, 1651) 30.
I am fly fishing with my son, Sammy, today!
We are starting the celebration early as this coming Saturday he will graduate with honors from Colorado Christian University in three years with a biology degree. While he’s had his share of ups and downs, enjoying both times of sweetness and affliction, he is learning to see God’s love and mercies through it all, which is cause for even greater joy that getting a diploma. In the words of Jeremiah Burroughs, he sees “the secret dew of God’s blessings” covering everything in his life with God’s love and mercies!
What’s this got to do with generosity?
While life will be filled with joys and disappointments, those who choose the path of righteousness (think: “God’s way”) find themselves free to live, give, serve, and love because they get their role in God’s plan is not so much to do things for God but to model life with God. That’s where Sammy is at. He has no debt, a great education, and a “little” money with righteousness as Solomon put it. And as he lives faithfully, God will likely entrust him with more and expand his territory.
What’s this mean for the graduates in our lives?
Remind graduates these days who have worked hard and have an exciting future ahead of them that more important than the “diploma” is the seeing “the secret dew of God’s blessings” in life — seeing how His love and mercies cover everything — and urge them to be faithful with the “little” that they have. In academic terms, this is the prerequisite to greater stewardship responsibilities in God’s economy. It’s also the pathway that leads graduates to live generous lives!