Part 34 (1/2)
”_Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase, so shalt thy barns be filled with plenty_.”
”_There is that scattereth and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it lendeth to poverty_.”
”_The liberal soul shall be made fat, and he that watereth shall be watered also himself_.”
”_He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will He pay him again.”_
”_Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard_.”
”_He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed, for he giveth of his bread to the poor_.”
”_He that putteth his trust in the Lord shall be made fat_.”
”_He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack; but he that hideth his eye shall have many a curse_.”
”_Cast thy bread upon the waters, for thou shall find it after many days_.”
”_If thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul, the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones. And thou shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not_.”
”_He which soweth bountifully, shall reap also bountifully_.”
”_Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, nor of necessity, for_
G.o.d LOVETH A CHEERFUL GIVER.
HOW THE LORD BLESSES THOSE ”WHO GIVE LIBERALLY TO HIS CAUSE.
A disciple of the Lord Jesus, poor in this world's goods, but rich in faith, became greatly perplexed in regard to the meaning of the forty-second verse of the fifth chapter of Matthew. The words are: ”Give to him that asketh thee; and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.” After a season of prolonged mental inquiry, as to whether the language was to be regarded as literal or not, she suddenly paused and exclaimed: ”It is easy enough to find out; test it and see.”
It was Sat.u.r.day. Her money, all but two dollars, had been expended in providing for the Sabbath. The amount left, which was absolutely needed for the following Monday, she put in her pocket, and went out.
On the street, a friend, whose husband had been for some time out of business, met her and stated their distresses, and asked if she could lend them _two dollars to last over the Sabbath_.
She was surprised. The test had come sooner than she expected, but, without hesitation, the money was ”_lent to the Lord,”_ and the now penniless believer went home to wait and see.
Now mark the result. Monday came, and with it the needs to be supplied.
While pondering what course to pursue, a knock was heard, and, on opening the door, a lady, with a bundle in her hand, inquired if she could do a little work for her. Replying in the affirmative, and naming the price, the lady took from her pocket-book two dollars, and handed it to her, saying: ”It is more than you ask, but you might as well have it.” ”I was never more astonished,” said this true disciple, ”and literally shouted for joy. I had tested and proved that the promises of G.o.d are yea and amen in Christ Jesus. Glory to G.o.d. I have never doubted since; and though often in straits, I have always been delivered.”
Would it not be well for Christians to ”test” where they cannot understand? ”Ye are my friends,” said the blessed Lord, ”if ye do whatsoever I command you.” Obedience will solve difficulties that reasoning cannot unravel. Try and see.
DIVIDING WITH G.o.d.
A merchant, in answer to inquiries, refers back to a period when, he says, ”In consecrating my life anew to G.o.d, aware of the ensnaring influences of riches, and the necessity of deciding on a plan of charity before wealth should bias my judgment, I adopted the following system:
”I decided to balance my accounts as nearly as I could, every month; and reserving such a portion of profits as might appear adequate to cover probable losses, to lay aside, by entry on a benevolent account, one-tenth of the remaining profits, great or small, as a fund for benevolent expenditure, supporting myself and family on the remaining nine-tenths. I further determined, that when at any time my net profits, that is, profits from which clerk-hire and store expenses had been deducted, should exceed $500 in a month, I would give twelve and a half per cent.; if over $700, fifteen per cent.; if over $900, seventeen and a half per cent.; if over $1,100, twenty per cent.; if over $1,300, twenty-two and a half per cent.; thus increasing the proportion of the whole as G.o.d should prosper, until at $1,500, I should give twenty-five per cent., or $375 a month. As capital was of the utmost importance to my success in business, I decided not to increase the foregoing scale until I had acquired a certain capital, after which I would give one-quarter of all net profits, great or small; and on the acquisition of another certain amount of capital, I decided to give half; and on acquiring what I determined would be a full sufficiency of capital, then to give the whole of my net profits.