NOTHING TO SPARE by S. S. Mooney

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · May 16, 1878

NOTHING TO SPARE.

By S. S. Mooney

“AND whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, He shall in no wise lose his reward.” Matt. 10:42.

Now the Lord loves the cheerful giver, and the promise in this text is, that he shall not lose his reward. Again the Master says, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Yes, but I have nothing to give. I have as much as I can do to meet my bills, says one. Our Heavenly Father does not require his people to do what they cannot do; but he does require every one to do something. The poor widow might have said, I have nothing to give; but she cast into the treasury all that she had, even all her living, and trusted the Lord for the future; and I do not suppose that the meal wasted or the oil grew less, any more than in the case of the widow who fed Elijah. I believe it is safe to trust the Lord always.

A short time ago a sister told me that when we were holding our meetings she wanted to give a dollar to the tract enterprise; but she had only money enough to pay a small bill she owed, so she hesitated a little. Finally she thought she would trust the Lord, and give the dollar. Presently an individual called and dropped a dollar into her hand. She asked what that was for. He answered (though not interested in particular in the truth or the meetings), “You have been having considerable company lately, so I thought I would help you out a little.” So we see it is safe to trust in the precious promises.

It is a fact that we are living in an age when covetousness is prevalent in the church of Christ. I once heard of a prosperous church which gave, for several consecutive months, fifty dollars or more a month, on the average, for missionary purposes. They were very greatly blessed by the constant conversion of sinners in their midst until some one was tempted to believe they had given too much. Consequently they stopped giving and doing. Many influences were brought to bear against the mission, and it ceased, and a long dearth in spiritual things followed. Some that once gave became worldly, and lost their spirit of labor for sinners; and prayer-meetings were very thinly attended.

A sister in a certain church was once asked to give to a charitable object. Said she, “I have nothing to spare; for my husband does not believe as I do, and will not give me money for such purposes.” At the same time she was clad in costly apparel, purchased with money he had given her to do as she pleased with. Once more, I heard of two Christian women whose husbands were opposed to the truth they held so dear, and who gave their wives a yearly sum for dress; but the wives denied themselves for the sake of giving, and one of them was known to give fifty dollars in one year for missionary purposes.

“I have nothing to spare,” said a man, “for my taxes have eaten me up nearly; and I do not believe ministers ought to be paid for their labor like other professional men, for if they are they will lose their reward when Jesus comes.” And so he adds land to land, and, with a property of twelve thousand dollars, has nothing to give, and professes to be looking for Christ.

“I have nothing to spare,” said a man, as he turned from his door a poor child who asked for bread for her poor sick mother; and that very morning he had asked God at family worship to supply the needs of the poor. “I have nothing to spare,” said a professor of religion. “People must work, as I have to do, or go to the poor-house.” At the same time he was influencing some maiden aunts to make their will in his favor, which they did, leaving him property to the value of some forty thousand dollars, at the loss of the friendship of other heirs equally related. At his death he left one hundred thousand dollars to his penurious wife and children; and when all were dead but one daughter, she married a man who bids fair to sink the whole.

Time would fail us to write of the many instances where covetousness has blinded the mind, and the love of money has crept into the church. Many love this present world more than they do the world to come.

Now, dear brethren and sisters in Christ, if we would have a home in the kingdom of God when Jesus comes, let us be sure that our treasure is not on the earth, but laid up in Heaven. S. S. MOONEY.

Danners, Mass.