The Blessedness of Giving by I. H. Evans

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Nov 23, 1916

The Blessedness of Giving

By I. H. Evans

I. H. EVANS

The Bible always speaks approvingly of the spirit of liberality. It was this spirit which led the Father to give his Son to pay the ransom “which man from death redeems.” What was ever more effective in making the heart tender than the contemplation of the generosity of Heaven in sending Christ to save the world from sin? What scripture ever made a stronger appeal than the assurance that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”?

Through this gift, God not only provided for the forgiveness of sin, but he did more; for “he that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” Christ himself also entered into this giving; for we read, “Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father.” And again, “Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” Thus both the Father and the Son freely gave the best, all they had to give, for man’s salvation.

God does not sell the gospel. When the Lord does anything for man, it is always free. “I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.” “Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”

Nothing can be more free to man than the gifts of God. In return the Bible exhorts the Christian to be liberal with God. To his disciples the Lord Jesus said, “Freely ye have received, freely give.” Paul sent this earnest exhortation to the believers at Corinth: “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. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” The wise man said, “Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. . . . In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not ever whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.”

God cares less about the amount one gives than the spirit in which he gives. This is beautifully expressed in one of St. Paul’s epistles: “If there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.” The Saviour drew a wonderful lesson from those who brought gifts to the temple. He emphasized the thought that it is not the amount one gives, but the spirit of the giver, that is precious in the eyes of his Father. Calling attention to the poor widow who cast in two mites, he declared that notwithstanding all the treasures of the rich who had poured into the treasury great gifts, this poor widow cast in more than they all. This proves that it is not the amount of the offering, but

the spirit actuating the giver and the sacrifice the gift entails upon the donor, that are precious in Heaven’s sight.

Giving ennobles the heart. Liberality is one of the virtues of our Father. The Bible sets forth liberality in these words: “There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat; and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.”

The apostle Paul tried to impress the blessedness of giving when he said to the elders of Ephesus: “I have showed you all things, how that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Again, we read, “The liberal deviseth liberal things; and by liberal things shall he stand.”

Noble men of all times have given high place to this grace. “In giving, a man receives more than he gives,” said MacDonald.

Howell said, “The disposition to give a cup of cold water to a disciple is a far nobler property than the finest intellect. Satan has a fine intellect, but not the image of God.”

Barrow made this strong statement concerning liberality: “In defiance of all the torture, of all the might, of all the malice of the world, the liberal man will ever be rich; for God’s providence is his estate, God’s wisdom and power his defense, God’s love and favor his reward, and God’s Word his security.”

“Never try to save out of God’s cause,” said Spurgeon on one occasion. “Such money will canker the rest. Giving to God is no loss; it is putting your substance in the best bank. Giving is true having, as the old gravestone said of the dead man, ‘What I spent, I had; what I saved, I lost; what I gave, I have.’”

Giving is somewhat temperamental, but is more a grace that can be cultivated. At first it may seem hard and a real trial; but when persevered in, it is capable of rapid growth, till to give brings a deeper and sweeter satisfaction to the giver than receiving does to the receiver. The blessings to be gained from giving must be experienced to be enjoyed. None can know the pleasures of liberality until he possesses its spirit. God rejoiced in giving the Son of God to man; so to the Christian it is not a trial to give to the poor or to the cause of God; for giving affords him the highest satisfaction. From his heart he sings,—

“Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a tribute far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my life, my soul, my all.”

The acquirement of the grace of giving weans our affections from earthly, material things, and teaches us that there are heart qualities far more valuable than possessions. “A man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” The Christian must never estimate the worth of a human soul by money standards. The heart is what God looks at, and we must prize the things of eternal value, rather than those which pass away with the using.

The spirit of benevolence is the spirit of the Master. As this grace abounds, the giver is kept from the spirit of this world. Less and less does he care for the things of earth, more and more does he long to help others who are in need. Shall we not, as we prize this grace, strive to cultivate the spirit of Christian liberality in our own lives?