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GIVING

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Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 27, 1900

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 77, No. 13.

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GIVING

By Ella Cornish

ELLA CORNISH.
(College View, Neb.)
“God so loved the world, that he gave,” freely, fully gave, all that heaven could bestow—the matchless, priceless gift of his only begotten Son, to be a “sacrifice for sin.” Thus the very foundation of Christianity lies in love—a love that gives, not that which costs nothing, but love that gives by sacrifice; for “Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us.”
The gift of loving sacrifice has ever been, will ever be, blessed and honored of God. The poor widow’s two mites were, in the estimation of him who knows the heart, more than all the gifts of wealth or pride; but he who gives “to be seen of men” receives but the reward of unrighteousness.
If we give ourselves, our love, our sympathy, and our prayers with our gift, the blessing returns to our own hearts in “good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over.”
Christ performed a notable miracle in feeding the multitude by the Sea of Galilee. The bread came from him, but it was distributed by the disciples; for he “gave to the disciples to set before the multitude.” And does he not give to us, his disciples, that we may distribute to the multitude?
If we are his disciples indeed, we can not shirk the responsibility of setting the bread of life before famishing souls, that they may eat and be filled. We may think we have so little that we have none to spare; but I can not imagine Peter, John, and the other disciples each staggering along with a load sufficient to feed a thousand persons. It seems to me that they distributed what was in their hands, and returned to Jesus for more; nor need we fear to give what he has given us, then look to him, who has all the wealth of the universe at his command, to supply our need.
It is not what he withholds, but what he gives us, that we are responsible for. And be our giving little or much, if according to our ability, and given in love for Jesus and the souls for whom he died, God will bless the gift and the giver, and we shall hear at last from the lips of the Saviour, “Ye have done it unto me.”