Morning, August 21, edited from Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening

“He who waters will himself be watered.” — Proverbs 11:25

We are here taught the great lesson, that to get, we must give; that to accumulate, we must distribute; that to make ourselves happy, we must make others happy; and that in order to become spiritually dynamic, we must seek the spiritual good of others. In watering others, we are ourselves watered. How? Our efforts to be useful bring out our abilities for usefulness. We have latent talents and dormant faculties, which are brought to light by exercise. Our strength for labor is hidden even from ourselves, until we venture forth to fight the Lord’s battles, or to climb the mountains of difficulty. We do not know what caring sympathies we possess until we try to dry the widow’s tears, and soothe the orphan’s grief. We often find in attempting to teach others, that we gain instruction for ourselves.

Oh, what gracious lessons some of us have learned at sick beds! We went to teach the Scriptures, we came away embarrassed that we knew so little of them. In our conversations with afflicted saints, we are taught the way of God more perfectly for ourselves and get a deeper insight into divine truth. We see that watering others makes us humble. We discover how much grace there is where we had not looked for it; and how much the destitute saint may outstrip us in knowledge. Our own comfort is also increased by our working for others. We endeavor to cheer them, and the consolation gladdens our own heart. It is like the two men trapped in the snow; one massaged the other’s limbs to keep him from dying, and in so doing kept his own blood in circulation, and saved his own life. The poor widow of Zarephath gave from her sparse store a supply for the prophet’s needs, and from that day she never again knew what want was. Give then, and it shall be given to you, good measure, pressed down, and running over.