Ready to Distribute by John Norton Loughborough

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 10, 1903

Ready to Distribute

By John Norton Loughborough

J. N. Loughborough

“Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.” 1 Tim. 6: 17-19.

There are several distinct and emphatic statements in this scripture that demand our serious attention. Those who are especially spoken of are called “rich in this world.” Who are the rich in this world? we inquire. Fifty years ago a man owning eighty acres of farming land, with a comfortable house, barns, orchard, and stock, all free from debt, and valued at three or four thousand dollars, was called “a well-to-do farmer.” One who had one hundred and sixty or two hundred and forty acres, valued at ten thousand dollars, was spoken of as “a rich man.” In these days of gold and silver mining, oil stock speculation, forming of trusts of various kinds, with their immense dividends, only those having their hundreds of thousands or their millions of dollars are now classed with the rich.

If we appeal to the lexicons, we have this definition of the word “rich:” “Having large possessions of money, goods, land, or other valuable property.”—Standard Dictionary. Those who, through covetousness or the love of property, seek to excuse themselves from the liberality which the Scriptures enjoin, may say: “This scripture does not apply to me; I am not rich. It applies to those who have great possessions—large sums—the millionaires.”

One thing is certain, and that is this, the Lord never designed that one portion of the people of this world should amass a great amount of gold and silver, and possess immense tracts of land, to the injury of the less fortunate. This thought is clearly brought to view in the regulations concerning the distribution and land holding among Israel in the land of Canaan. Anything like “land monopoly” was then safely guarded, and if a possession had been sold, it must revert in the year of jubilee to the original possessor.

A few scriptures will illustrate that it is not in harmony with the Lord’s instruction that vast fortunes, undistributed to the needy, should be accumulated. As expressed in Proverbs, chapter 23: 4, 5, “Labor not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.” The words of our Saviour are, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal.” Matt. 6: 19. “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matt. 16: 26.

Our Saviour’s parable of the rich man is direct and to the point. The rich man said, “I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul [life] shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” The Lord said of this course, “So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Luke 12: 19-21.

The apostle Paul, speaking of worldly riches, rendered this decision: “We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.” 1 Tim. 6: 7-9.

Solomon made a comparison of the final standing of those who in this life have lived for themselves, and those who have sought out and aided the needy, in these words: “There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing; there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.” Prov. 13: 7. Paul, speaking of the latter class, says of them, “As poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.” 2 Cor. 6: 10. They may be poor in this world’s goods, and yet be instruments in God’s hand of leading souls to Christ, who become “rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him.” James 2: 5. They, having accepted Christ, become joint heirs with him [Rom. 8: 17] whom God “hath appointed heir of all things.” Heb. 1: 2. Indeed it can be said of such converts, “All things are yours” (1 Cor. 3: 21), as they have become heirs of the “true riches” (Luke 16: 11), which are to be possessed in the “everlasting habitations” (Luke 16: 9); that is, the “everlasting life”—the final reward—spoken of in the initial text of this article. In the Revised Version it is called “the life which is life indeed.” In Dean Alford’s Testament it is called “the true life.”

That all this might be accomplished in and for us, we read of Christ, “Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” 2 Cor. 8: 9. If through his grace we obey the command, “Love thy neighbor as thyself,” and like Christ, go about doing good, and “look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others” (Phil. 2: 4), we may be instrumental in leading many to the “true riches,” although counted poor by the world.

Those who make the great object of life the gathering of this world’s goods, living for themselves only, will find in the great day of final settlement that they have “nothing.” When then aroused to the fact that they have no title to “eternal life,” what would they not give to change their condition? All the titles of earth which they held here are then considered as naught if they could but gain the “soul” life—the eternal state that is being awarded as a free gift to the joint heirs with Christ. Alas! those who were esteemed “rich” in this world are then the “poor” indeed.

This world, in its present state, is not treated in the Scriptures as an object for our affections. This world is our training ground, in which we are to prepare for a “better country.” As stated of Abraham, “By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country.” Heb. 11: 9. David said, “I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.” Ps. 39: 12. Again, “We are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.” 1 Chron. 29: 15. Of all these ancient worthies we read that they “confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is,

an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.” Heb. 11: 16.

The admonition of the apostle Peter to the Lord’s people is, “Pass the time of your sojourning here in fear.” 1 Peter 1: 17. And again, “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.” 1 Peter 2: 11.

(To be concluded)