The above saying is one with which most of us are familiar. We recognize it’s truth in most areas of our lives. Many may not realize that it is also a biblical principle. In 2 Kings 4:1-7 we see this principle in action. A poor widow has come to the prophet Elisha for help. Her sons are about to be sold into slavery to pay her debts and she has nothing but a container of oil. Elisha tells her to borrow all the empty vessels she can from her neighbors and then close her door and pour oil into the empty vessels. When she runs out of vessels the oil stops. Elisha then tells her to sell the oil and pay her debts and she and her sons can live on the remainder. She was blessed in direct proportion to the amount of work she put into collecting the empty vessels. Had she put in little effort, she would have received a smaller blessing.
In like manner, we will receive spiritual blessings in direct proportion to the amount of work we put into doing God’s will. If one feels that they “didn’t get anything out of the worship service”, it is probably because they didn’t put much into it. In 2 Corinthians 9:6 the apostle Paul writes, “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” As Jesus said in Matthew 16:27, “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.”