The Law of Life by L. A. S.

Review and Herald Publishing Assn. · Washington, D. C. · Jan 7, 1904

The Law of Life

By L. A. S.

THE law of Christian life is, Give, not Get. God's life is a continual giving. Christ, the Christian's great example, “gave himself.” He came to this world to get nothing for himself; to give everything. He gave himself; the same law requires that we give ourselves. His giving, far more than anything that is possible to us, sets the seal of approval to this law.

Human nature, perverted by sin, has reversed this divine rule, and made men believe that the essential thing is to get, that it is getting that brings life, and maintains it, while giving is only loss. It has made men believe that the object of existence is to get all they can, and that it matters not materially if they give nothing; that giving is incidental, not a necessity, but a matter of one's convenience; that getting is the business of life, and giving only a side issue, to be governed by chance or inclination.

And because of this perverted conception, selfishness fills the world, and there is suffering and want everywhere which would be relieved in a single day if the divine rule of life were carried into effect.

There can be no more mistaken idea than that giving is, as concerns the giver, a matter of minor consequence,— a matter of choice, and not of obligation. The destiny of no person is safe who does not realize that giving, continual giving, is a necessity, not to the recipient of the gift, but to the giver; that giving is the very law of life, and that he who does not give is cutting himself off from life itself. It may seem to an individual that he is gaining by making it the business of his life to get, but such an one is walking in the sparks of his own kindling, and in the end will find that all that seemed to him to be gain, turns out to be loss. And that loss will be eternal. He who spends his life in getting all that he can get here, is accumulating to himself an eternal deficit.

The law of life is seen in the things of nature, for there is spiritual law in the natural world. The swiftly flowing brook illustrates the law of giving. What it receives, it gives, and is fresh and pure and beautiful and a joy to everything. The stagnant, slimy pool of bitter, noxious water shows the result of getting without giving. It has an inlet, but no outlet. It is of no use, and the only thing to be done is to drain off its impure water and get rid of it. There are many persons who want all the blessings of heaven to flow into their lives, but have no care that they shall flow out to others. They do not realize that an outlet for the gifts of God is just as essential as an inlet. Their lives are not made sweet and pure, but the contrary, by their experience.

The work of God calls for gifts; not exclusively of money, though much money is needed. What view shall we then take of the calls that come to us so repeatedly? Shall we become weary of well doing, and feel that we shall be better off if in some way we can avoid further giving? If so, it will be because we fail to realize that our giving is a necessity, not to the cause, but to our own selves; for such is the truth, and the fact is not changed by our failure to realize it. We must give, and keep on giving, for our own souls’ sake as well as for the sake of the heathen. Give, and live. Give, and grow. Give, and receive of heaven. When we stop giving, we shut ourselves off from the blessings we most need to receive, and disconnect ourselves from the life of God. “Freely ye have received, freely give.” So long as we give, so long shall we freely receive of Heaven to give. Give, give, not get, is the law of life.

L. A. S.