Overflowing Instead of Hoarding
When God’s blessings are poured back to Him, they overflow in streams of life to others.
Devotional Credit: My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Oswald Chambers challenges us with a piercing truth: the blessings of God were never meant to be clutched tightly for our own satisfaction. Using David’s story of refusing to drink the precious water brought by his men, Chambers points us to a life where gifts, friendships, love, and provision are meant to be poured back out to the Lord in gratitude and surrender. If we cling to them, they turn sour. If we release them, they become channels of living water flowing outward to others.
This devotional nudges us to see how easily we can take God’s good gifts and make them about ourselves. A friend’s love, a family’s care, a moment of abundance—these are meant to be mirrors reflecting God’s goodness, not pools we hoard for ourselves. Chambers reminds us that when we pour these blessings back to the Lord in our hearts, they are transformed into something greater. They move from being finite possessions to becoming streams of blessing that ripple outward in ways we could never produce on our own.
The temptation to hold tight is strong. We think if we give back to the Lord what He has given, we will lose something precious. But in reality, the opposite is true. When we hoard, blessings become stagnant, even poisonous. When we release them, they become sweet and life-giving. This is the paradox of faith: only in surrender do we discover abundance.
I am grateful for Chambers’ reminder that everything I have is the Lord’s. Nothing is too small or too dear to pour back to Him. The practice of release is not a loss but an entry into the immeasurable blessing of being a conduit of His love. What begins as my act of surrender becomes His opportunity to bless far beyond my reach.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
My child, everything I place into your life is meant to draw you closer to Me. Do not cling to My gifts as if they are your source. I am your source. When you release what I give back into My hands, I multiply it beyond your imagining. Love, provision, opportunities, even friendships—they are safest when entrusted to Me.
If you hold tightly for yourself, what was meant to refresh you may grow bitter. But when you trust Me enough to pour it back, I turn it into living streams that bring life to many. Your heart grows free when it learns that nothing is lost in My presence. Every act of surrender is an act of worship, and every gift returned becomes a testimony of My goodness.
Keep your eyes fixed on Me, not on the blessings. Receive them with gratitude, and then release them in trust. In doing so, you walk in freedom, and I delight to use you as a vessel of blessing in the lives around you.
Scripture References: 2 Samuel 23:16-17, John 7:38, James 1:17, Philippians 4:19, 1 Corinthians 4:7, Romans 12:1, 2 Corinthians 9:8, Psalm 116:12-14, Galatians 2:20, Romans 6:13.
Real-Life Analogy
Think of a sponge soaked in clean water. If it is never squeezed, the water inside eventually grows stale and unpleasant. But when the sponge is pressed, the water flows out fresh, ready to cleanse and refresh. Then the sponge is ready to soak up new water again. In the same way, when I receive love, encouragement, or provision from the Lord, I am not meant to hoard it. I am to pour it back to Him in gratitude, trusting Him to let His Spirit flow out of me into others.
Today, if someone shows me kindness or if I experience an unexpected blessing, I can quietly say in my heart, “Lord, I trust You to use this in me and through me.” In that moment, the blessing is not trapped inside me but becomes part of His flow of life that encourages and nourishes others.
Prayer of Confidence
Lord, I thank You that every good gift comes from You and belongs to You. I rejoice that I never lose anything by giving it back into Your hands. Instead, what I release You multiply and turn into blessing far beyond what I could imagine. I rest in Your generosity today, grateful that I am complete in Jesus, and I trust You to pour Your life through me into others.