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The Bible Rules for Giving, October 24
Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the
Lord thy God which he hath given thee.
Deuteronomy 16:17
.
A beautiful illustration of that spirit of love and self-sacrifice which
the grace of Christ implants in the heart is given in the experience of the
Macedonian Christians. The apostle Paul writes of them: “In a great trial
of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded
unto the riches of their liberality.... Praying us with much intreaty that we
would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering
to the saints. And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their
own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God” (
2 Corinthians
8:2-5
). And wherever the Spirit of Christ abides the same fruits will be
manifested.
In the Bible system of tithes and offerings the amounts paid by differ-
ent persons will of course vary greatly, since they are proportioned to the
income. With the poor man the tithe will be a comparatively small sum,
and his gifts will be according to his ability. But it is not the greatness of
the gift that makes the offering acceptable to God; it is the purpose of the
heart, the spirit of gratitude and love that it expresses. Let not the poor
feel that their gifts are so small as to be unworthy of notice. Let them give
according to their ability, feeling that they are servants of God, and that
He will accept their offering.
The one to whom God has entrusted a large capital will not, if he loves
and fears God, find it a burden to meet the demands of an enlightened
conscience according to the claims of God. The rich will be tempted to
indulge in selfishness and avarice, and to withhold from the Lord His
own, but he who is true to God will, when tempted, answer to Satan, “It
is written,” “Will a man rob God?” ...
Those who keep eternal realities in view, who love the Lord with all
the heart and soul and strength, and their neighbor as themselves, will
conscientiously do their whole duty, as if the curtain were rolled back and
they could see that they were working in view of the heavenly universe....
All who possess ... the spirit of Christ will with cheerful alacrity press
their gifts into the Lord’s treasury.
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