NOTHING TO GIVE?—WHY NOT!
By G. D. Ballou
There is no doubt that in some churches a spirit of pride manifested in a sense of shame at the thought of not putting anything on the contribution plate, does much to stimulate contributions for church work. Indeed, this spirit prevails to such an extent in many sections of the country that some people will not attend church if they have twenty-five or fifty cents to put in the plate. This spirit also has much to do with the size of the sums which appear on subscription lists for the support of ministers in popular churches. I have often heard ministers, when trying to raise funds, appeal to the pride of their congregations by telling them that if they did not give liberally the house of worship would soon become dilapidated, the services would be neglected, and property in town would depreciate greatly in value. Besides this, business men have told me that they were obliged to give liberally, on account of custom and prestige in the community. I am satisfied that, were it not for this popular system of extorting means from non-professors, preachers would have to seek a livelihood some other way. Nothing is more evident to a generous soul than that the returns we make to the Lord should be as freely made as his blessings have been bestowed. The air of heaven, the sunlight, rain, and the water bubbling up from the earth and flowing in a thousand streams to refresh weary earth and bless mankind, all come spontaneously. So with the blessings of God. Christ’s injunction was, “Freely ye have received, freely give.” We do not have to purchase forgiveness of sins and favor with Heaven. They are bestowed freely when the soul cries to God with humble penitence. When these favors have been bestowed on us, we are placed under greater obligations than ever before to him who has not only created us, but has so freely redeemed us from condemnation of sin. The hope of eternal life which such are led to cherish, still further increases the gratitude we owe to God. It must be plain that none can retain the favor of God without some suitable recognition of their obligation to him. Those only are godly or godlike men who follow the example of God. He bestows blessings upon men; and we must do the same with his children. Giving does not impoverish, and it will not impoverish his children. For spiritual blessing we bestow upon others, done in the spirit of Christ, God will bestow abundant blessings on us. “He that watereth shall be watered also himself.” Our personal moral obligations must be met between us and God; but obligations growing out of gospel blessings must be filled either by proclaiming the message of mercy ourselves, or by assisting others to proclaim it; we really have the spirit of Christ in us, when anxious to find ways and means for showing mercy and favor to our perishing fellow-men, making known to others God’s saving truth. Christians are not limited to one means, but they find it a pleasure to dedicate to the cause of Christ whatever talents they may possess. Appeals will not be necessary to bring means into the treasury, where men have any just sense of duty. Considering the flood of light which God has277 been giving to S. D. Adventists, one of the first things in connection with our work is that there are scores of individuals in our midst who never give so much as a dollar to carry on the work, from one year’s end to another, and they seldom or never put forth any effort to get others interested in present truth. Here is light that it should be the rejoicing of every heart to spread abroad, on account of its life-giving influence. How is it that any should fail to have a part in doing this? The reason is very plain why many do not help. They never plan for this work, but leave that for others to do; or if they do make plans, they forget and let their best intentions and purposes die. Their tithes are seldom paid, because they do not lay them aside as fast as means come in. They keep planning for worldly ends and schemes, and when the year is past they have nothing to show. They do not seem to hold themselves responsible to God for the use of their talents. They do not, like Paul, feel that they are debtors to their fellow-men on account of God’s grace and mercy (Rom. 1:14, 15); hence they have no personal sense of the obligation resting on them. Were we to follow these individuals through, you would often find them purchasing gewgaws, unnecessary articles of apparel, meats, useless articles of diet, and other things which perish with the using without doing any permanent good, and costing all the way from a few cents to several dollars. These absorb all the spare money, and none is left for the cause of Christ. Money is lost, too, in bargains with dishonest hucksters and peddlers, which a little calm forethought would have avoided; and the cases of perishing sinners going to eternal ruin are never thought of till then. Very few are so poor but they could put into the cause of God from five to twenty dollars each, and never miss it, by just stopping these little leaks. It is painful to think that these individuals are not providing any treasure in heaven, and will have little or no fruit to abound to their account. Phil. 4:17. There is a remedy for this evil. A little faithful planning for the cause of Christ will clear much of the rubbish of excuses on account of poverty. Those who will thus plan, even laying plans to devise ways for advancing the cause, will very soon develop better business talent than they have ever manifested before. Whatever one dwells upon wisely, as a course of action, not only strengthens the character, but makes the more easy of execution. A good way is to dedicate (besides the tithe) the proceeds of some certain piece of land or a certain amount of labor to some branch of the cause, and then strictly carry out the purpose. For your own soul’s sake and for the sake of others, plan to do something, and execute that plan. Those who have more means will find it to their advantage to do some earnest planning for the cause of Christ. I have known cases of wealthy men losing hundreds of dollars of their spare money by investing in some worldly scheme, desiring to increase their wealth while they neglect to make any provision for the present advancement of the truth. It pleases the Devil to see men contrive to make money now, and think of the cause of God by and by. The mind once fixed on worldly schemes, and that “by and by” for helping God’s cause, never comes. We must reverse this order. Now is the time to plan for eternal things, and by and by will be soon enough to lay up treasures here. Should not all our labors tend to the present advancement of the truth? To-morrow or next year may be too late. But we may now act so that our example may encourage some one else. Persons who do not plan for the salvation of fellow-men, will fail as surely as the merchant who does not plan for his business. Without system we are creatures of caprice and circumstance. God calls us to use both our brains and muscles in the cause. We call men “shiftless” in the affairs of the world who do not lay thoughtful plans and faithfully carry them out. May the converting power of the Holy Spirit so fill our hearts as to lead us all to planning for the cause of God. “If ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?” Luke 16:11.