THE BLESSINGS OF GIVING!
W. L. Douglas, the shoe manufacturer, was a well known man. From his early struggling years comes this story. He had been unemployed so long that he was down to his last dollar. Nevertheless, he put half of it--fifty cents--in the collection basket of his church. Next morning he heard of a job in a neighbouring town. The railroad fare to that town was one dollar. To all appearances it would have been wiser if he had kept that 50 cents. However, with the half dollar remaining he bought a ticket and rode half way to the desired place. He stepped from the train and began to walk to the town.
Before he had gone one block he heard of a factory right in that town where they were employing men. Within 30 minutes he had a job at a salary five dollars more a week than he would have received had he gone on to the other town.
A colleague missionary tells this story: I was going to spend some of my tithe on shoes, thinking I could make it up before the end of the month. But then I thought, "That's the LORD'S money! It's not even mine. The shoes will just have to wait." So I walked on past the shoe store and a block later I found the equivalent of $60 on the street – enough for the shoes plus, of course, the Lord's 10%. It PAYS to OBEY!
A good analysis of our finances is not how much of my money do I give to God, but how much of God's money do I keep for myself. The Christian who tithes will be surprised:
(1) At the amount of money he has for the Lord's work.
(2) At the deepening of his spiritual life in paying the tithe.
(3) At the ease in meeting his own obligations with the nine-tenths.
(4) At the ease in going from one-tenth to a larger percentage.
(5) At the preparation this gives to be a faithful and wise steward over the nine-tenths remaining.
(6) At himself for not adopting the plan sooner!
Success in life is ought to be determined, not by accumulations, but by contributions.
By practising the grace of sharing, a person is storing up treasure for himself. Gifts are investments.
A. A. Hyde, a millionaire manufacturer, said he began tithing when he was one hundred thousand dollars in debt! Many men have said they considered it dishonest to give God a tenth of their incomes while they were in debt. Mr. Hyde said he agreed with the thought until one day it flashed upon him that God was his first creditor. Then he began paying God first, and all the other creditors were eventually paid in full. If a man owes you money, it would be wise business policy on your part to encourage him to pay his debt to God first!
Sam and Jenny, long time missionaries, tell us this story: When we arrived here in this Latin American city that the Lord had showed us to come to, there was another missionary family here with six children who were on their way further South. They were waiting for money which was being sent from the United States.
Time dragged on and their money hadn't come, so we prayed and then offered to help them. They said they needed $800, which was about 1/3 of our available funds. But when we prayed, we got the Scriptures Acts 2:44,45 and Luke 6:38, so we took them the money.
The next day in the post we got a check for $16,000--an inheritance that we had not known about. The check had been lost in the mail a year before, and the bank had discovered that it had not been cashed. What a fulfilment of God's promises and a real blessing for us to help us as we get established in South America!
Once when Mr. LaGuardia, the famous ex-mayor of New York, was presiding at a police court, they brought a trembling old man before him charged with stealing a loaf of bread. He said his family was starving. "Well, I've got to punish you," said Mr. LaGuardia. "The law makes no exception, and I can do nothing but sentence you to a fine of ten dollars." Then he added, after reaching into his pocket, "and here's the ten dollars to pay your fine. And now I remit the fine." Then, tossing the ten-dollar bill into his famous outsize hat, he said, "Furthermore, I'm going to fine everybody in this courtroom fifty cents for living in a town where a man has to steal bread in order to eat. Mr. Bailiff, collect the fines, and give them to this defendant." The hat was passed, and an incredulous old man, with a light of Heaven in his eyes, left the courtroom with 47 dollars and fifty cents.
A man had a dream in which God said to him, "I have decided how much your income will be each week. I will observe how much you give to Me each week and then I will provide for you an income of exactly ten times that amount."
Give according to your income, lest God make your income according to your giving.
In the fourth century, Augustine, in a harvest sermon, said: "Our forefathers abounded in plenty because they gave God the tithe and to Caesar tribute. But now, because our devotion has receded, the imposition of taxes has advanced. We are unwilling to share with God, giving Him the tenth, and now, behold...a taxgatherer takes from us that which God receives not."
Money MEASURES men. It measures their capacity and their consecration. In some instances money MASTERS men. They become its slaves. In other instances, money MULTIPLIES men. Through the ministry of the money given by such men, missionaries have carried the Gospel to every continent. The Gospel is preached in thousands of pulpits, and tomorrow's leaders are taught and trained.
I was preaching one night when at the close of a service a well-dressed man approached me and said, "Dr. Smith, I owe you everything I have in life." I looked at him in amazement. Then he told me this story.
"I was down and out," he began. "I had lost my job. My wife and two daughters had left me. I was dressed in rags. One day I happened to stroll into the People's Church during one of your Missionary Conventions. You were speaking, and you were making some of the most astounding statements I had ever heard in my life. You were saying, 'You cannot beat God giving. Give and it shall be given unto you. Square with God and God will square with you.' I sat up and listened.
"Just to test your sincerity," he continued, "I filled in one of your cards, promising to give God a certain percentage of all He might give me. That, of course, was easy because I had nothing. To my amazement, within a few hours, I got a job. When I received my first pay, I sent in the amount I had promised. Before long I got a raise. Then I contributed more. Soon I had a new suit of clothes. In due time I got a better job. Presently my wife and daughters came back to me. I continued giving.--Before long, all my debts were paid. Now," he exclaimed, "I own my own home here in Minneapolis and I have money in the bank. All that I owe to you. I found that you were right. I discovered that God was as good as His Word."
There are two ways in which a Christian may view his money.--"How much of my money shall I use for God?" Or, "How much of God's money shall I use for myself?"
A well-to-do lady who had become a Christian late in life was one time walking along the city street accompanied by her granddaughter. Presently a beggar accosted them. The old lady listened to his tale and then, putting her hand in her purse, took out a half-dollar and placed it in his palm. At the next corner a woman of the Salvation Army was waiting and the old lady dropped a dollar in her kettle. As she did so her granddaughter looked at her curiously and then said: "Grandma, I guess you have lost a good deal since you have beome a Christian, haven't you?" "Yes," said the old lady, "I have. I have lost a hasty temper, a habit of criticising others, a tendency to spend all my spare time in social frivolities and plesasures that mean nohing. I have also lost a spirit of avarice and selfishness. Yes, indeed, I have lost a good deal."
If you don't give away something God wants you to give, you don't own it--it owns you.
The tithe is not meant to be a ceiling at which we stop giving, but a floor from which we start. ... remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. Act 20:35. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loves the cheerful giver. 2Cor. 9:7
Don't just give in order to receive, you may learn the hard way not to do that. Give to whom God has put in your heart to give, and give with love. Giving is an act of love. Ask God for opportunities to give, to sctrech your faith, and make sure that you give what is yours and not what belongs to somebody else, then leave it up to God.
Have a blessed giving!
(Extracted from Activated Magazine)
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Ten Cures for Financial Ills
Q: I'm under a lot of financial pressure right now. With the economy the way it is, business is slow and I've lost much of the income I need to keep on top of my bills. I've prayed for God's help, but is there something more I need to do in order to receive His financial blessings?
A: The most important thing you need to know is that God loves you and wants to take care of you. If you're His child, He is going to do just that. He wants to supply all your needs. "God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). "Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4). However, He also makes it clear in the Bible that He expects certain things from us before we're eligible to receive all that He has for us. Here are 10 things you can do.
1. Live right in both your personal and business life. God's blessings are conditional. "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33). "All these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God" (Deuteronomy 28:2).
2. Tithe. When we give at least 10% of our income to God in the form of tithes and offerings to support those who are doing His work, we can be confident that He will "pour out such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it" (Malachi 3:10).
3. Give to others. God blesses giving to others—the needy, good causes, and His workers—in addition to our tithes. "Let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7). "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over" (Luke 6:38).
4. Thank the Lord for what you've already got. Whether God supplies through our work or unexpected means, it's still His blessing and supply, and He wants us to acknowledge that and thank Him. Then, when He sees that we're genuinely thankful and are praising Him for what He's already given us, He's happy to give us more if we need it. "Let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name" (Hebrews 13:15). "In everything give thanks" (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
5. Ask. This may seem too obvious, but sometimes "you do not have because you do not ask" (James 4:2). Be specific when you pray for God's help financially. Tell Him exactly what you need. Sometimes this also means being humble enough to ask others for help when you need it.
6. Be a wise manager. We need to remember that all that we have is given to us by God and that we're just the stewards, or managers, of it. He's entrusted us with it, and He expects us to manage it wisely. "Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful" (1 Corinthians 4:2).
7. Live economically and within your means: Part of being a good manager is to be saving—to be moderate and to avoid waste. And don't spend money that you don't have for things that would be nice but are not absolutely necessary. Going into debt or living for today, hoping that you'll be able to pay off your debt tomorrow, can lead to financial ruin.
8. Budget. One of the best ways to manage money well is to have a budget and stick to it. "He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich" (Proverbs 10:4).
9. Have faith in God to supply your needs. Many people focus solely on what they can do, and often that's because they don't really expect God's help. "Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6). We must also do our part, of course, but then we must trust Him to do the rest, what we can't do. He says, "Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?" (Jeremiah 32:27).
10. Keep praying. Sometimes God lets us experience financial difficulties for the same reasons that He lets us experience other difficulties: so that we will draw closer to Him, include Him more in our everyday activities, and learn to depend more on Him. When we've done everything else we can do but still lack, He probably wants us to depend on Him more. We can show Him that we are by praying earnestly. When we pray with our whole heart, God promises to go to work in our behalf. "You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13).
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