The Rewards of a Relationship With God

A thick bankroll is no help when life falls apart,
    but a principled life can stand up to the worst.
Proverbs 11:4 MSG

Give freely and become more wealthy;
    be stingy and lose everything.

The generous will prosper;
    those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

People curse those who hoard their grain,
    but they bless the one who sells in time of need.

Proverbs 11:24-26 NLT

In this life, it is often difficult to determine the rewards of being in a relationship for personal or professional purposes. Even when you think you know what the rewards are, they are subject to
change. When it comes to our relationship with God, however, Solomon does an excellent job of outlining the rewards in Proverbs 11. He even goes so far as to tell you what God likes and dislikes as well as the consequences of our actions.

I remember the first time I really reflected on Proverbs 11:4. I was friends with one of the electrical engineers where I worked. He considered himself as having it all: family, nice house, nice cars, and nice bank accounts. He believed he accomplished these things all on his own until one day his son got caught up in some trouble and he learned a very hard lesson. His money could not get his son out of the jam he was in.

After I moved on to another company I didn’t talk to him often, but I would occasionally inquire with a mutual friend to see how he was doing. One day when I asked about him, I was told he was still trying to get his son out of the jam he was in and that his older brother had died suddenly. His life may seem bleak at this point, but there is good news at the end of this story. My coworker had been raised to believe and have faith in God. After the death of his brother, he started to listen to gospel music and find his way back to God. The good news is God was there waiting for him with open arms. (Hebrews 11:5)

This season of COVID-19 has taken Proverbs 11:4 to a whole new level with respect to what money can’t buy and how living a principled life can help you endure any test life brings your way. My particular test didn’t come in 2020 but 20 years ago, when I kissed the man that God gave me as I was leaving for work that morning and received a call from him as I was getting ready to leave work to confirm I was on my way home.

Upon arriving home my world immediately turned upside down. He was struggling to breathe. Long story short, within a few hours the emergency room doctor was telling me he was sorry, and they had done all that they could do. All I could do was look up and say, “Lord, I can’t do this by myself.” I needed to depend on Him to see me through (Philippians 4:13).

Needless to say, “He carried me through”. Now that I have endured that test, I have a testimony that can help someone else.

Proverbs 11:24-26 is not limited to money. When I share my testimony, it not only helps the person that I’m sharing it with; it helps me too.

As God has given us abilities, we should use them generously in terms of giving to His kingdom, both financially and with our time and energy. The rewards of a relationship with God is that the more generous we are in our giving, the more generous God will be when giving to us. (2 Corinthians 9:6, 11)