Help Wanted by M. Wood

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Aug 23, 1883

Help Wanted.

By M. Wood

THE cause needs help now; it needs brain and muscle; it needs the sanctified heart and the consecrated purse. Some when in poverty are generous of their little, but become penurious as they acquire property. They will invest their means in uncertain speculations; they will manifest great wisdom in accumulating filthy lucre. And one reason why they have so little faith in God and his closing work is because they do not keep giving, as God prospers them. Under the Jewish system the Lord required the first-fruits,—the first-fruits of the corn, the wine, the oil, and the wool were to be consecrated as an offering to him. The gleanings and the corners of the fields were reserved for the poor; for our gracious Heavenly Father has not forgotten their wants. At the feast it was commanded that the poor, the widows, the orphans, and the strangers should be invited. At the close of every year all were required to make solemn oath whether or not they had done according to the command of God. This arrangement was made by the Lord, to impress upon the people that in every matter he must be first.

They were to bear in mind that their gracious Master was the true proprietor of their fields, their flocks, and their herds. See Ps. 50: 10-12; Haggai 2: 8. All is the Lords; we are simply acting as stewards of his goods.

The liberality displayed by the Jews in the construction of the tabernacle and the erection of the temple, illustrates a spirit of benevolence which might be imitated by those even who profess to be looking for the soon coming of the Saviour. Freed from their long bondage in Egypt, they became wanderers in the wilderness; yet scarcely were they delivered from the armies of the Egyptians, who pursued them in their hasty journey, when the word of the Lord came to Moses, saying, "Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering; of every man that giveth it willingly, with his heart, ye shall take my offering." The people had small possessions, and no flattering prospects of adding to them, but an object was before them, to build a tabernacle for God. They withheld nothing; all gave with a willing hand, not a tenth of their increase, but a large portion of the principal of their capital stock. They devoted it gladly and heartily to the Lord; by doing so they not only pleased God, but gave back to the lender his own.

There are at the present moment high and holy enterprises which require means in order to successfully carry them forward. And those who invest in these enterprises experience a more elevated and permanent enjoyment than if their means were expended for personal gratification, or selfishly hoarded for greed of gain. All investments in the cause of God are profitable and safe. The money is placed in bags that have no holes; it is secure.

Can Christians living near the close of time, and boasting of a broader light than the Hebrews had, be satisfied with their offerings when not half so large as were those of the Jews? Their liberality was to benefit their own nation. The work in these last days is not a local work; it extends to the uttermost parts of the world. The message of truth is to go to all nations, tongues, and peoples; its publications, printed in many different languages, are to be scattered abroad like the leaves of autumn, until the whole earth shall be lighted with its glory.

The spirit of liberality is the spirit of Heaven. The spirit of selfishness and covetousness is the spirit of Satan. Christ's self-sacrificing love was revealed upon the cross. He gave all he had, and then gave himself, that man might be saved. The cross of Christ appeals to the benevolence of every follower of the blessed Saviour. The principle illustrated there is to give, give. This, carried after the principles laid down in God's word, will manifest itself in good works and a saving faith. The principle of the worldling is to get, and to keep what he gets. "By their fruits ye shall know them;" and those who work upon this principle, and follow it up, thinking that gain is godliness, will make a sad mistake. The fruit of such labor is misery and death.

Our talents, our means, our knowledge, are not merely for our own benefit; these blessings are to be used for the salvation of souls, to elevate man from his life of sin, and to bring him, through Christ, to the infinite God. "Ye are not your own; ye are bought with a price,"—one of infinite value, the precious blood of Christ. "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." What an incomparable love is this—a theme for the most profound meditation! Men who are captivated by Satan, and are crazy for gain, disappointed and unhappy in their pursuit of the world, need the knowledge of this truth to quiet the restless hungering and thirsting of their souls.

Oh, for a thousand experienced missionaries to enter the fields white for the harvest! Oh, for those, who will work, and watch, and pray, to lift weary souls to the bosom of a compassionate Redeemer! Oh, for hearts free from selfishness, that all our energies might be devoted to the work of Christ! We have the greatest work ever committed to the care of men, yet there are scores who profess to believe these sacred truths, who are paralyzed by the sophistry of Satan, and are doing nothing for God, for others, or for themselves, but who rather hinder the work. When will they act like those who wait for their Lord? M. WOOD.