Freewill Offerings
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human agent. He can carry on His own work though we act no part in
it. But who among us would be pleased to have the Lord do this?
It were better not to give at all than to give grudgingly; for if we
impart of our means when we have not the spirit to give freely, we
mock God. Let us bear in mind that we are dealing with One upon
whom we depend for every blessing. One who reads every thought of
the heart, every purpose of the mind.—
The Review and Herald, May
15, 1900
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The Cheerful Giver Accepted
“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly;
and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man
according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly,
or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” If we act in the spirit
of this counsel, we may invite the Divine One to audit the accounts of
our temporal matters. We may feel that we are only giving offerings
from that which is our Lord’s entrusted gift.
All our offerings should be presented with cheerfulness; for they
come from the fund which the Lord has seen fit to place in our hands
for the purpose of carrying forward His work in the world, in order that
the banner of truth may be unfurled in the highways and byways of the
earth. If all who profess the truth would give to the Lord His own in
tithes and gifts and offerings, there would be meat in the house of the
Lord. The cause of benevolence would no longer be dependent on the
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uncertain gifts of impulse, and vary according to the changing feelings
of men. God’s claims would be welcomed, and His cause would be
considered as justly entitled to a portion of the funds entrusted to our
hands.
How much more eager will every faithful steward be to enlarge
the proportion of gifts to be placed in the Lord’s treasure house, than
to decrease his offering one jot or tittle. Whom is he serving? For
whom is he preparing an offering?—For the One upon whom he is
dependent for every good thing which he enjoys. Then let not one of
us who is receiving the grace of Christ, give occasion for the angels to
be ashamed of us, and for Jesus to be ashamed to call us brethren.
Shall ingratitude be cultivated, and made manifest by our niggardly
practices in giving to the cause of God?—No, no! Let us surrender