A GOOD EYE

PROVERBS 22:9 NKJV 

9 He who has a generous eye will be blessed, 

For he gives of his bread to the poor. 

Having a good eye does not usually refer to a physical condition. 

A person who sees something others miss is said to have a good eye. A photographer who captures beautiful pictures has a good eye. A batter who takes a ball instead of swinging at a pitch has a good eye. 

In this proverb verse nine, the word generous eye is used. The margin of my bible says, 'good eye.' So, we can make the case that generous and good are synonymous in this context. 

A good or generous eye is all about perspective. How we 'see' something. A person who is generous will be a blessed person because he gives to the poor. 

The opposite of being generous is being stingy. A person with a bad stingy eye is not blessed because he will not give.   

I appreciate the fact that Jesus had a generous eye. The night He was betrayed, and Judas left the room to betray Him, the disciples thought Judas may be going out to give to the poor. (John 13:29) Evidently, giving to the poor was a regular practice of Jesus. 

APPLICATION: 

We must have an 'eye' for it. It's fair to assume that someone with a good generous eye has a heart that is good and generous. 

I remember my eye changed after I came back to the Lord at age 22. I had not typically been known as a giving person. But as soon as my heart turned back to the Lord, my generosity quotient expanded. 

I can't say I was raised in a home with a generous perspective. Both parents had suffered with poverty during their youth, and it affected their eye. Fear has a definite way of distorting our perspective.  

But my Heavenly Father is extremely generous. His perspective is the standard. He loved, so He gave, and we are blessed. And He is blessed to gain so many children.   

PRAYER:  

Heavenly Father, help me develop a generous eye. You are good. You are a giver. And I am Your child.