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Counsels on Stewardship
refreshing sleep. Weekly He brings to us the Sabbath, that we may rest
from our temporal labors, and worship Him in His own house. He has
given us His word to be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. In
its sacred pages we find the counsels of wisdom; and as oft as we lift
our hearts to Him in penitence and faith, He grants us the blessings of
His grace. Above all else is the infinite gift of God’s dear Son, through
whom flow all other blessings for this life and for the life to come.
Surely goodness and mercy attend us at every step. Not till we
wish the infinite Father to cease bestowing His gifts on us, should we
impatiently exclaim, Is there no end of giving? Not only should we
faithfully render to God our tithes, which He claims as His own, but
we should bring a tribute to His treasury as an offering of gratitude.
Let us with joyful hearts bring to our Creator the first fruits of all His
bounties,—our choicest possessions, our best and holiest service.—
The Review and Herald, February 9, 1886
.
Only Way to Manifest Gratitude
The Lord does not need our offerings. We cannot enrich Him by
our gifts. Says the psalmist: “All things come of Thee, and of Thine
own have we given Thee.” Yet God permits us to show our appreciation
of His mercies by self-sacrificing efforts to extend the same to others.
This is the only way in which it is possible for us to manifest our
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gratitude and love to God. He has provided no other.—
The Review
and Herald, December 6, 1887
.
Paul’s Argument Against Selfishness
Paul sought to uproot the plant of selfishness from the hearts of his
brethren; for the character cannot be complete in Christ when self-love
and covetousness are retained. The love of Christ in their hearts would
lead them to help their brethren in their necessities. By pointing them
to the sacrifice Christ had made in their behalf, he sought to arouse
their love.
“I speak not by commandment,” he said, “but by occasion of the
forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love. For ye
know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet