Harvest Ingathering
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A Worthy Example
The poor widow who cast her two mites into the Lord’s treasury,
little knew what she was doing. Her example of self-sacrifice has acted
and reacted upon thousands of hearts in every land and in every age.
It has brought to the treasury of God gifts from the high and the low,
the rich and the poor. It has helped to sustain missions, to establish
hospitals, to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, heal the sick, and
preach the gospel to the poor. Multitudes have been blessed through
her unselfish deed.—
Testimonies for the Church 6:310
.
Lessons from the Life of Nehemiah
In years past, I have spoken in favor of the plan of presenting our
mission work and its progress before our friends and neighbors, and
have referred to the example of Nehemiah. And now I desire to urge
our brethren and sisters to study anew the experience of this man of
prayer and faith and sound judgment, who made bold to ask his friend,
King Artaxerxes, for help with which to advance the interests of God’s
cause.—MS., “Consecrated Efforts to Reach Unbelievers,” June 5,
1914.
Solicited Means From Those Able to Bestow—Men of prayer
should be men of action. Those who are ready and willing, will
find ways and means of working. Nehemiah did not depend upon
uncertainties. The means which he lacked he solicited from those who
were able to bestow.—
The Southern Watchman, March 15, 1904
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Courage for the Task Came Through Power—Nehemiah and Artax-
erxes stood face to face,—the one a servant of a downtrodden race, the
other the monarch of the world’s great empire. But infinitely greater
than the disparity of rank was the moral distance which separated them.
Nehemiah had complied with the invitation of the King of kings, “Let
him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me, and
he shall make peace with Me.” The silent petition that he sent up to
heaven was the same that he had offered for many weeks, that God
would prosper his request. And now, taking courage at the thought
that he had a Friend, omniscient and omnipotent, to work in his behalf,
the man of God made known to the king his desire for release for a
time from his office at the court, and for authority to build up the waste