The 12 Riches of Life: The Willingness to Share One's Blessings

The Seventh Form of True Wealth

The seventh type of riches identified by Napoleon Hill is

The Willingness to Share One's Blessings

Today, we will examine this form of wealth through the lens of the biblical text—because long before Hill attempted to catalogue the components of a rich life, the biblical authors were already describing a world ordered around abundance, provision, and generosity.

From the days of Moses, when a covenant was established between God and the nation of Israel, there existed an ultimate vision: a people who would thrive so completely that no one—rich or poor, native or foreigner, powerful or weak—would be left without provision.

A Constitutional Vision of Enough for All

We see this vision embedded directly into Israel's law:

"And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God."

—Leviticus 23:22

According to the Torah (the Law), no one was meant to go hungry. Regardless of why someone was poor, there was always a place for them to receive provision. In an agricultural society, this implied that there was more than enough—so long as the Law was honored.

This principle extended beyond charity into the very structure of Israel's national life.

Eleven tribes agreed to support the twelfth—the tribe of Levi—which was set apart entirely for ministry to the tabernacle and later the Temple. This is the origin of the tithe.

Think about the mathematics of this arrangement. One tribe was devoted fully to spiritual service and therefore could not provide for itself. One-tenth from the other eleven tribes meant that the Levites effectively received 110% of what any other tribe had—ensuring abundance for the fully operational organism which was the nation of Israel (see Numbers 18:21).

No one was excluded: neither the poor, nor the foreigner, nor those dedicated to ministry. The nation benefited from spiritual leadership, and the priesthood benefited from a healthy economy and society.

From the beginning, Israel's constitution reflected an intentional commitment to shared abundance.

Willingness vs Coercion

But here is a critical distinction.

Napoleon Hill does not define this type of riches as sharing one's blessings. He defines it as the willingness to share one's blessings.

That distinction matters.

True value—value worthy of ranking among the twelve riches—must come from free will. This is not forced redistribution. It is not coercion. It is generosity chosen voluntarily.

Only then does it enrich the giver, and by extension, the entire world.

Giving as Multiplication, Not Loss

This idea carries directly into the teachings of Jesus:

"It is more blessed to give than to receive."

—Acts 20:35

Everyone enjoys receiving. But consider the equation implied here.

If receiving has a value of one, and giving has a value of two, then something remarkable happens: the act of giving creates more total value than would have existed had the gift never been given.

The receiver benefits.
The giver benefits.
And the world becomes incrementally richer.

This is not a zero-sum system. From this higher perspective, generosity multiplies abundance rather than diminishing it.

It creates wealth the begins in the invisible realm (which is the willingness to share blessings) and translates it into the physical realm, making the world a better place to its core.

A Prophetic Image of Shared Abundance

The prophet Zechariah, more than 500 years before Christ, envisioned a future shaped by this very principle:

"Behold, I will bring my servant the Branch…I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day. In that day, declares the Lord of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree."

—Zechariah 3:8-10

Trees were a common prophetic image. Nations were often described as trees, either providing shelter or being cut down. Zechariah internalizes this image, applying it not to empires but to individuals.

In the day when iniquity would be removed, abundance would be so great that people would willingly invite others into their blessings. Not out of obligation, but out of overflow.

Jesus built upon this imagery when he said, "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit."

—John 15:5

The Paradox Solomon Observed

King Solomon articulated this paradox succinctly:

"One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered."

—Proverbs 11:24–25

This truth operates on two levels.

First, there is the natural consequence. Generous people build trust. They form deep social capital. Their ideas encounter less resistance. Communities rally around them because generosity creates credibility.

Second, there is the supernatural dimension, echoed by Jesus himself:

"Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you."

—Luke 6:38

The Danger of Unlimited "Yes"

But generosity without discernment is not wisdom.

Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Mount are challenging:

"If anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you."

—Matthew 5:42

Taken to the extreme, this would naturally produce a culture where takers drain givers indefinitely.

The mysterious sage Agur warned of this dynamic about a thousand years before Christ:

"The leech has two daughters: Give and Give."

—Proverbs 30:15

He continues by describing situations that destabilize the world (Proverbs 30:21-23)—people receiving authority, provision, or intimacy they were unprepared for. People who received provisions, relationships or authority that were unearned. Because enabling of bad habits and poor thought patterns destabilizes society.

The point is not condemnation. It's discerning the difference between enabling bad habits and empowering toward a better future.

Empowerment vs. Enablement

This is where discernment becomes essential.

Peter and John demonstrate the difference perfectly when they actually don't give what is specifically asked for.

"Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, [the man lame from birth] asked to receive alms…And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, 'I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!' And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God."

—Acts 3:3-8

The man asked for money. They gave him the use of his legs.

They did not enable dependency.
They empowered transformation.

Jesus operated the same way—restoring people, but warning them not to return to destructive patterns.

True generosity does not merely relieve discomfort. It restores agency.

Why This Type of Riches Matters

The willingness to share one's blessings enriches both giver and receiver, but only when guided by wisdom.

It follows naturally after The Capacity for Faith, because giving requires trust that you will not suffer lack by letting go.

And it precedes A Labor of Love, because action comes before emotion. Love is expressed through service regardless of whether it is felt.

When individuals willingly share their blessings, the world moves closer to Zechariah's vision—a place where everyone has enough, and where abundance shelters all who come beneath its branches.

Conclusion: The Small Seed That Changes the World

Jesus described the kingdom of heaven as a mustard seed—small, buried, nearly invisible at first.

But over time, it grows into a tree where the birds of the air find rest. (See Matthew 13:31-32)

That vision advances every time someone chooses—freely, wisely, and faithfully—to share their blessings.

Not by coercion, but by willingness.