Giving

GIVING

RELATED INDEX TOPICS: Finances, Greed, Tithe, Commitment, Unselfishness/Selfishness, Yieldedness. 1. The old German shoemaker had just sent his boy with a basket of garden stuff to a poor widow. He worked hard at his trade and cultivated his little garden patch, yet nothing was more common in his life than some such deed as this. "How can you afford to give so much away?" I asked him. "I give nothing away," he said. "I lend it to the Lord, and He repays me many times. I am ashamed that people think I am generous when I am paid so much. A long time ago, when I was very poor, I saw someone in want, and I wondered if I could give, but I could not see how. I did give, and the Lord helped me. I have had some work, my garden grows well, and never since have I stopped to think twice when I have heard of some needy one. No, if I gave away all, the Lord would not let me starve. It is like money in the bank, only this time the bank never breaks, and the interest comes back every day." 2. A well-to-do lady who had become a Christian late in life was one time walking along the city street accompanied by her granddaughter. Presently a beggar accosted them. The old lady listened to his tale and then, putting her hand in her purse, took out a half-dollar and placed it in his palm. At the next corner a woman of the Salvation Army was waiting and the old lady dropped a dollar in her kettle. As she did so her granddaughter looked at her curiously and then said: "Grandma, I guess you have lost a good deal since you have become a Christian, haven't you?" "Yes," said the old lady, "I have. I have lost a hasty temper, a habit of criticizing others, a tendency to spend all my spare time in social frivolities and pleasures that mean nothing. I have also lost a spirit of avarice and selfishness. Yes, indeed, I have lost a good deal." 3. When Charles Dawes was ambassador to Great Britain the story was told of his buying a newspaper from a London newsboy who charged the usual price of a penny. "I'd have to pay double the price for this paper in America." Dawes remarked. "Well, guv'nor," said the newsboy, "you can pay me double if it'll make you feel at 'ome." 4. If you don't give away something God wants you to give, you don't own it--it owns you. 5. When I have any money. I get rid of it as quickly as possible, lest it find a way into my heart.-John Wesley

6. Sam Foss was an enthusiastic traveler as well as a writer, and on one of his trips through rustic England, weary and thirsty, he came to a small unpainted house that stood atop a fairly steep hill. Near one side of the road was a crude signpost finger pointing to a well-worn path, and a sign that read, "Come in and have a cool drink." Following the path a short distance he found a spring of ice-cold water, above which hung an old-fashioned gourd dipper. On a bench nearby was a basket of summer apples with another sign, "Help Yourself." His curiosity aroused, Foss sought out the old couple who lived in the little house and questioned them about the signs and the fruit. He learned that they were childless, and that their poor farm yielded them a scant living. But because they had such an abundance of cold spring water and fruit they felt rich and wanted to share it with any one who might pass that way. "We're too poor to give money to charity," the old gentleman said, "but we thought maybe in this way we could add our mite and do something for folks who pass our way." 7. Dr. E.M. Poteat, one-time President of Furman University, blessed my life immeasurably. One day, in the classroom, he gave the following words to his students, most of whom sat somewhat awed at the brilliance of his mind. Carve your name high o'er shifting sand Where the steadfast rocks defy decay; All you can hold in your cold, dead hand Is what you have given away. Build your pyramids skyward and stand, Gazed at by millions, cultured they say; But all you can hold in your cold, dead hand Is what you have given away. Count your wide conquests by sea and land, Heap the gold, hoard as you may; All you can hold in your cold, dead hand Is what you have given away. Honor and fame and gold are so grand Kings of the salon mart, a day; All you can hold in your cold, dead hand Is what you have given away. 8. If we would have God open His treasury, we must open ours. 9. There are three kinds of giving: Grudge giving, duty giving & thanksgiving. Grudge giving says, 'I have to'; duty giving says, 'I ought to'; thanksgiving says, 'I want to'. 10. God has a secret method by which He recompenses His saints: He sees to it that they become the prime beneficiaries of their own benefactions! 11. It is all right to be always looking for compliments--to give to somebody else. 12. Give not from the top of your purse, but from the bottom of your heart. 13. When it comes to giving until it hurts, most of us have a very low threshold of pain. 14. Some give their mite; some give with all their might; & some who might don't give.

15. Giving until it hurts is not a true measure of generosity. Some are easier hurt than others. 16. God looks not to the quantity of the gift but to the quality of the giver. 17. The tithe is not meant to be a ceiling at which we stop giving, but a floor from which we start. 18. Giving a tenth is nothing to brag about.--Samuel Chadwick 19. God demands the tithe, deserves the offerings, defends the savings & directs the expenses. 20. It could be argued that in the Old Testament tithes were paid, & therefore do not, strictly speaking, come under the heading of giving at all. Christian giving only begins when we give more than a tenth. 21. Poor stewardship amounts to nothing less than withholding from the Lord that which is His. 22. Stewardship is not the leaving of a tip on God's tablecloth: it is the confession of an unpayable debt at God's Calvary. 23. The use of our possessions shows us up for what we actually are. 24. If you are not a tither you are a robber. 25. There are two ways in which a Christian may view his money.--"How much of my money shall I use for God?" Or, "How much of God's money shall I use for myself?" 26. Money is an amoral instrument & like science serves good & evil alike. There is no such thing as dirty money; the stain is only on the hand that holds it as giver or taker. 27. When we give to God we are taking the gift out of one of His hands & putting it into the other. 28. By practicing the grace of sharing, a person is storing up treasure for himself. Gifts are investments. 29. A giving Saviour should have giving disciples. 30. As you have done unto others, so will the Lord do unto you. Empty your pockets! 31. Faith's way of gaining is giving. 32. Giving is true having. 33. Success is not getting the most you can, but giving the best you can. 34. One makes a living by what he gets; he makes a life by what he gives. 35. It you put money in the bank, it grows...put it in the Lord's Work & you grow. 36. Once, when Mr. LaGuardia, the famous ex-mayor of New York, was presiding at a police court, they brought a trembling old man before him charged with stealing a loaf of bread. He said his family was starving. "Well, I've got to punish you," said Mr. LaGuardia. "The law makes no exception, and I can do nothing but sentence you to a fine of ten dollars." Then he added, after reaching into his pocket, "and here's the ten dollars to pay your fine. And now I remit the fine." Then, tossing the ten-dollar bill into his famous outsize hat, he said, "Furthermore, I'm going to fine everybody in this courtroom fifty cents, for living in a town where a man has to steal bread in order to eat. Mr. Bailiff, collect the fines, and give them to this defendant," The hat, was passed, and an incredulous old man, with a light of Heaven in his eyes, left

the courtroom with forty-seven dollars and fifty cents. 37. Yes, I tithe, and I would like to tell you how it all came about. I had to begin work as a small boy to help support my mother. My first wages amounted to $1.50 per week. The first week after I went to work. I took the $1.50 home to my mother and she held the money in her lap and explained to me that she would be happy if I would give a tenth of it to the Lord. I did, and from that week until this day I have tithed every dollar God has entrusted to me. And I want to say, if I had not tithed the first dollar I made I would not have tithed the first million dollars I made. Tell your readers to train the children to tithe, and they will grow up to be faithful stewards of the Lord. --John D. Rockefeller, Sr. 38. I gave My life for thee, My precious blood I shed, That thou might'st ransomed be, And quickened from the dead. I gave, I gave My life for thee, What hast thou given for Me? I gave, I gave My life for thee, What hast thou given for Me? 39. His love has no limit, His grace has no measure, His power has no boundary known unto men; For out of His infinite riches in Jesus He giveth, & giveth, & giveth again! --Anne Johnson Flint 40. Gabriel, 2-years-old, found a ring in the park while we were still in Jakarta. Well, after sending in our tithe for March, we were out of money, so we went to a jewelry shop to see if anybody would buy it. It turned out to be partially gold & we got $100 for it! Two days later, a total stranger gave us $1000 because she had seen us & the Lord told her to save up money for us!! He makes something out of nothing! And surely blesses tithing when funds are low! TYJ! --Jacob & Damascus 41. A rich man said to his minister, "Why is it everyone is always criticizing me for being miserly, when everyone knows that I have made provision to leave everything I possess to charity when I die?" "Well," said the minister, "let me tell you about the pig and the cow. The pig was lamenting to the cow one day about how unpopular he was. 'People are always talking about your gentleness and your kindness,' said the pig. 'You give milk and cream. But I give even more. I give bacon and ham--I give bristles and they even pickle my feet! Still no one likes me. I'm just a pig. Why is this?' The cow thought a minute, and then said: 'Well, maybe it's because I give while I'm still living.'" 42. Teofilo ("Friend of God") said to Christobal ("Christbearer"), the new convert in the little mission chapel in Cuba: "Christobal, if you had a hundred sheep, would you give fifty of them for the Lord's work?" "Yes, I would." "Would you do the same if you had a hundred cows?" "Yes, Teofilo, I would." "Would you do the same if you had a hundred horses?" "Yes, of course." "If you had two pigs, would you give one of them to Him?" "No, I wouldn't; and you have no right to ask me, Teofilo, for you know I have two pigs." "If there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not" (2Cor.8:12).

43. A.A. Hyde, a millionaire manufacturer, said he began tithing when he was one hundred thousand dollars in debt. Many men have said they considered it dishonest to give God a tenth of their incomes while they were in debt. Mr. Hyde said he agreed with the thought until one day it flashed upon him that God was his first creditor. Then he began paying God first, and all the other creditors were eventually paid in full. If a man owes you money, it would be wise business policy on your part to encourage him to pay his debt to God first. 44. The poor hippie was standing on the street corner giving out newspapers in return for 25-cent donations when the Systemite walked up, took two papers, & handed him a quarter, saying grandly, "I want you to know, young man, that I don't give you this because I feel that I have to or because I think it's my duty or because I even think your paper's worth it!--But I just enjoy giving!"--To which our dear hippie replied, "Well, Mister, why don't you give me a dollar & have a real good time!"--Dad 45. If we bestow a gift or a favour & expect a return for it, it's not a gift but a trade. 46. Don't cheat the Lord & call it economy. 47. We need to get God off the charity list & put Him on the payroll. 48. Your promise to God should be as binding as those you make at the bank. 49. The surest way to have happiness & peace of mind is to give them to somebody else. 50. Every man who expects to receive happiness is obligated to give happiness. You have no right to consume it without producing it. 51. So long as we live we must give. And that is one of the joys of living. Perhaps some of us have wished that the time might come when we need not "give" any more. Then we need to read this true little message in verse: "For giving is living." the angel's voice said, "Go feed the hungry, share with them your bread." "But should I give out till I'm at an end?" I questioned the angel. "I'd have nothing then!" "Oh no!" said the angel, "Hark. Here's what to do: "Just give till the Master stops giving to you!" 52. I was preaching one night when at the close of a service a well-dressed man approached me and said, "Dr. Smith, I owe you everything I have in life." I looked at him in amazement. Then he told me this story. "I was down and out," he began. "I had lost my job. My wife and two daughters had left me. I was dressed in rags. One day I happened to stroll into The Peoples Church during one of your Missionary Conventions. You were speaking, and you were making some of the most astounding statements I had ever heard in my life. You were saying, 'You cannot beat God giving. Give and it shall be given unto you. Square with God and God will square with you.' I sat up and listened. "Just to test your sincerity," he continued, "I filled in one of your cards, promising to give God a certain percentage of all He might give me. That, of course, was easy because I had nothing. To my amazement, within a few hours, I got a job. When I received my first pay, I sent in the amount I had promised. Before long I got a raise. Then I contributed more. Soon I had a new suit of clothes. In due time I got a better job. Presently my wife and daughters came back to me. I continued giving.--Before long, all my debts were paid. Now," he exclaimed, "I own my own home here in Minneapolis and I have money in the bank. All that I owe to you. I found that you were right. I discovered that God was as good as His Word." 53. Richard Wurmbrand of 'Tortured for Christ' said that when in prison they tithed! "When we were given one slice of bread a week and dirty soup everyday, we decided we would faithfully 'tithe' even that. Every tenth week we took the slice of bread and gave it to the weaker brethren as our 'tithe' to the Master."

54. Boy, did the Lord take up a collection! The very night I sent in our report with only half of our 10%, I had a watch stolen that was four times our 10%, so I guess the Lord was showing me we could've sold something if we really didn't have enough.--Rey & Eva 55. "There are loyal hearts, there are spirits brave, There are souls that are pure and true; Then give to the world the best you have, And the best will come back to you. "Give love, and love to your life will flow, A strength in your utmost need; Have faith, and a score of hearts will show Their faith in your word and deed. "Give truth, and your gift will be paid in kind, And honor will honor meet; And a smile that is sweet will surely find A smile that is just as sweet. "Give sorrow and pity to those who mourn, You will gather in flowers again, The scattered seeds of your thought outborne, Though the sowing seemed but vain. "For life is the mirror of king and slave; 'Tis just what you ARE and DO; Then give to the world THE BEST YOU HAVE, And the BEST will come back to you!" --Madeline S. Bridges 56. Charlie page was a young man, broke, penniless and jobless. One day he stopped on the street to listen to a Salvation Army service. When the tambourine was passed around for the collection, he told the girl who held it out before him that he would like to give something but had nothing himself, even for his food. She gave him a dollar, saying, 'Take this: put ten cents in the offering, and hereafter give a tenth of all you get to God. Keep this up all your life, and you'll never be penniless again.' He did so, got a job, and began giving his tenth regularly. By and by he became a millionaire, and gave much more than a tenth, building hospitals and helping in many ways to carry on the work of the Lord. 57. God proved to us that you can't outgive Him. We stepped out by faith & even though we didn't have enough for both living expenses & tithe, we sent our tithe anyway & helped out the VSs. Then Robert bought a leather coat for $5 in a Goodwill store. Much to our astonishment, we found $50 in one sleeve & $100 in the other! It has really encouraged us to give more! PTL!--Robert, Canada 58. Giving to the Lord is but transporting our goods to a higher floor. 59. The following reminds me of some selfish people: Bessie's mother gave her a quarter just as the minister came to call. "Ah, Bessie," the pastor said, "I see you have a shiny new coin. Why don't you give to the missions?" "I thought about that," the girl answered, "But I think I'll buy a soda and let the druggist give it to the missions." 60. Notice in a church bulletin: "The Lord loveth a cheerful giver. He also accepteth from a grouch."

61. One reason we have so many pennies in the church collection basket is because we have no smaller coins. 62. The true test of generosity is to give the hatcheck girl a dollar without wondering if 50 cents would have been enough. 63. A well-known preacher was making an appeal for funds before a large congregation, and invited them to bring their gifts and lay them on the altar. The aisle was filled with people who came bringing their offerings. A little lame girl came slowly toward the front. She pulled a little ring from her finger and laid it among the other gifts on the altar. Adjusting her crutch she started back up the aisle. An usher was sent to bring her into an anteroom following the service. The preacher met her there and said, "My dear, I saw the thing which you did tonight. It was beautiful, but, you know, the response of the people tonight has been large, and in figuring up we find that we have money enough to take care of all the things we want to do, and have some money left over, so we don't need your ring, and I have brought it back to you." The little girl looked up with rebuke in her eyes and said, "I didn't give that ring to you." Once again from the lips of a child came a great spiritual truth that mocks our unbiblical, unbusinesslike methods of church finance. In our efforts to get bills paid we forget that our gifts are offerings not to man but to God. 64. The greatest gift we can bestow on others is a good example. 65. A small gift will do if your heart is big enough. 66. The Devil also loves a cheerful giver--providing he is the receiver. 67. There are many nerves in the human body, but the most sensitive is the one that goes from the brain to the pocketbook. 68. From the amount that some people give to the Lord, they must be positive that it's the little things that count. 69. He who gives only when he is asked has waited too long. 70. W. L. Douglas, the shoe manufacturer, is nationally known. From his early, struggling years comes this story. He had been unemployed so long that he was down to his last dollar. Nevertheless, he put half of it--fifty cents--in the collection basket of his church. Next morning he heard of a job in a neighboring town. The railroad fare to that town was one dollar. To all appearances it would have been wiser if he had kept that fifty cents. However, with the half dollar remaining he bought a ticket and rode half way to the desired place. He stepped from the train and began to walk to the town. Before he had gone one block he heard of a factory right in that town where they were employing men. Within thirty minutes he had a job at a salary five dollars more a week than he would have received had he gone on to the other town. 71. One of my favorite stories is about a missionary teaching in Africa. Before Christmas he had been telling his native students how Christians, as an expression of their joy, gave each other presents on Christ's birthday. On Christmas morning one of the natives brought the missionary a seashell of lustrous beauty. When asked where he had discovered such an extraordinary shell, the native said he had walked many miles to a certain bay, the only spot where such shells could be found. "I think it was wonderful of you to travel so far to get this lovely gift for me." the teacher exclaimed. His eyes brightening, the native answered, "Long walk, part of gift." Not what we give, but what we share, For the gift without the giver is bare!

72. The Christian who tithes will be surprised: (1) At the amount of money he has for the Lord's work (2) At the deepening of his spiritual life in paying the tithe, (3) At the ease in meeting his own obligations with the nine-tenths. (4) At the ease in going from one-tenth to a larger percentage, (5) At the preparation this gives to be a faithful and wise steward over the nine-tenths remaining, (6) At himself for not adopting the plan sooner! 73. The story is told of a farmer who was known for his generous giving, and whose friends could not understand how he could give so much and yet remain so prosperous. One day a spokesman for his friends said: "We cannot understand you. You give far more than any of the rest of us, and yet you always seem to have more to give." "Oh, that is easy to explain," the farmer said. "I keep shoveling into God's bin, and God keeps shoveling back into mine, and God has the bigger shovel." 74. Don't give till it hurts--give till it feels good. 75. Give as you would to the Master If you met His loving look; Give as you would of your substance If His hand the offering took. 76. It is estimated that if the widow's mite had been deposited at the "First National Bank, Jerusalem" to draw four percent interest semi-annually, the fund today would total $4,800,000,000,000,000,000,000. If a bank on earth could multiply the widow's mite to such an astronomical figure, think what treasures this dedicated woman will have in heaven where "moth and rust doth not corrupt." 77. I was going to spend some of my tithe on shoes, thinking I could make it up before the end of the month. But then I thought, "That's the Lord's money! It's not even mine. The shoes will just have to wait." So I walked on past the shoe store & a block later I found the equivalent of $30 on the street--enough for shoes & of course the Lord's 10%! It pays to obey!--Nashon 78. God is not going to judge you according to what you give, but how much you have left! In the day that Jesus stood in the Temple & judged the large donations of the Scribes & the Pharisees & the rich in comparison with the tiny bit the poor widow gave, He was judging not according to the amount of the gifts, because her gift was the absolute smallest any could give, a mere mite, part of a penny, a mere fraction of what the rich were giving. But the poor widow had nothing left!--She'd given her all!--100%! And that was, as far as God was concerned, the greatest gift of the day! The poor widow had cast in all she had & had nothing left! But He said they had cast in of their abundance, great gifts, very large gifts to the Temple. But they had much, much more left! So God was judging the rich through Christ that day according to what they had left.--Dad 79. A testimony which really encouraged us: When we arrived here in this small city that the Lord had showed us to come to, there was another family here with 6 children who were on their way south. They were waiting for money which was being sent from the States. Time dragged on & their money hadn't come, so we prayed & then offered to help them. They said they needed $200, which was about 1/3 of our available funds. But when we prayed, we got the Scriptures Acts 2:44,45 & Luke 6:38, so we took them the money. The next day in the post we got a check for $4,000--an inheritance that we had not known about. The check had been lost in the mail a year before, & the bank had discovered that it had not been cashed. What a fulfillment of God's promises & a real blessing for us to help us as we get established in South America! 80. You can't outgive God! Bernard MacFadden, an old friend of mine, who owned the Deauxville, a luxury hotel on Miami Beach, & the famous Physical Culture Magazine, once gave away five million

dollars, just to show he couldn't lose by giving, & he made it again many times over!--Dad 81. The Scotsman thought he was throwing a copper penny into the church offering bag, but suddenly noticed as it left his fingers that it was a gold sovereign! When he suddenly saw what he was losing, he tried to snatch it back, but the usher put his hand over the bag & said, "Oh, no! Sorry: Once in, forever in!" So the rich Scotsman said, "Well, at least I'll get credit for the sovereign in Heaven!" "No, you won't", said the usher, "You'll only get credit for the penny!" So if you're only planning on just giving away a penny's worth, & then suddenly discover you've given away a whole sovereign's worth instead, don't think you're going to get credit for the sovereign when you only intended to give a penny, even if you do lose the sovereign! You might as well give it willingly & in love from the beginning, if you want it to do you any good & get credit for it from the Lord!--Dad 82. I'll never forget when I was a poor student in Bible College trying pitifully to exist on only 25 Dollars a month in a little 14-foot trailer with a wife & two small children, when my wife suggested that God would bless us if we would tithe of even what little we had. I objected that we couldn't possibly spare even a penny of it as it wasn't enough for our living. But when we prayed & asked the Lord about it, we opened the Bible to this very Scripture about the Widow's Mite in which she cast it into the Lord's treasury, even though it was all of her living, all she had! We immediately started giving at least our 10% to others of God's poor whom we knew needed it, such as missionaries, students & other worthy works, & God immediately began to bless us financially. This was the time when that miracle happened at breakfast when we sat down with the children to eat shredded wheat with water because we had no milk, when we were paged to come to the office for a letter which contained ten dollars & with which we immediately bought for our meager breakfast the needed milk from the corner store!--Dad 83. The World is composed of the takers & the givers. The takers may eat better, but the givers sleep better. 84. There is a fable well known in India of a poor beggar who lived in a State ruled by a Maharaja. The beggar had no home but put up every night in a free choultry--or lodging-house--sleeping on a mat on the floor, and covering himself in the cooler nights with old rags. His clothing was tattered and old, and, having no means of earning a livelihood other than begging, he used to go out in the morning after a meal of cold rice left over from the previous day and sit by the wayside with his beggar's bowl. For 'punyam' (merit), passers-by used to throw some grains of rice or copper coins his way, so he usually had enough rice for two meals a day, and enough money to buy sticks for a fire and a few vegetables, fish or dhall for curry, which he ate at the choultry. One day he heard that on the morrow the Maharaja himself was coming that way in his chariot. That raised his hopes, as he said to himself, 'The Maharaja will not give me a handful of rice or a copper coin, or even a few annas, but nothing less than a golden "Varaha."' The next day he took up his usual position by the side of the road, and patiently awaited the Maharaja's coming. The sun stood overhead and still he waited in the noonday heat, but no sign of the ruler. Patiently he waited, still full of hope, until almost sunset and then he heard the welcome sound of the horses' hoofs and the chariot wheels. Stepping into the road, he brought the chariot to a standstill, approached the Maharaja and begged for alms. Instead of giving him anything, the Maharaja extended his hands and asked the beggar to give him something. Extremely disappointed and disgusted at a wealthy ruler begging from a poor beggar, he counted out five grains of rice from his bowl and placed them angrily in the hands of the Maharaja. 'Namasthe,' said the Maharaja, and continued his journey. With a sore heart and very disappointed, the beggar went that evening to his choultry, took out his winnowing fan and began to clean his rice for his meal. As he did so, a small glittering object attracted his attention. Picking it up, he saw that it was a grain of gold. Laying it carefully on one side, he went on winnowing till he found another glittering golden grain, then another. Now the search began in real earnest, and a fourth was found among the rice. After another search he saw a fifth and put it with the others. But, no matter how long he searched after that, he found not another grain of gold. Then the truth dawned on him. Five grains of rice given to the Maharaja had brought him in return five grains of gold. 'What a fool I was!' he exclaimed regretfully, 'If I'd known I'd have given him it all.' We lose what on ourselves we spend:

We have as treasure without end Whatever, Lord, to Thee we lend Who givest all. (Mal.3.10; Mark 12.44; 2Cor.9.6) 85. A poor, blind woman in Paris put twenty-seven francs into a plate at a missionary meeting. 'You cannot afford so much,' said one. 'Yes, sir, I can,' she answered. On being pressed to explain, she said, 'I am blind, and I said to my fellow straw-workers, "How much money do you spend in a year for oil in your lamps when it is too dark to work at nights?" They replied, "Twenty-seven francs." 'So,' said the poor woman, 'I find I save so much in the year because I am blind and do not need a lamp. I give this money to shed light to the dark, heathen lands.' 86. "Give until you feel it: then keep on giving until you don't feel it," said D.L. Moody. 87. An old German said in his broken English, "I likes to give villingly; when I gives villingly, it enjoys me so much I give again." 88. What makes the Dead Sea dead? It is all the time receiving and never giving out. 89. Jim Elliot, martyr: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose." 90. On a black cloudy day the late Queen Mary was out walking in the vicinity of Balmoral. She walked rather far, and as the rain came down she stopped at a cottage and asked for the loan of an umbrella. The woman did not know the Queen so decided to give the stranger an old umbrella with a broken rib. Next morning a man in gold braid appeared at the cottage door and said, 'The Queen asked me to thank you for lending her the umbrella.' The woman in the cottage was dumbfounded and with tears flowing down her cheeks she said, 'What an opportunity I missed! Why did I not give the Queen the best umbrella I had?' Let us make sure we give to God the best we can. 91. 'Some people give according to their means, others according to their meanness.' There are three kinds of givers: The flint never gives till it is well hammered, and then it yields only sparks. The sponge gives only when you squeeze it and keep on squeezing it till it is dry. The honeycomb gives freely and keeps on giving. 92. When a man dies he clutches in his hands only that which he has given away in his lifetime. 93. He said he wouldn't make a pledge Unto the mission field, That he would give just when he felt Or when it most appealed. But still he bought a car and pledged To pay it off some day. And then a house in which to live And each month he would pay. He pledged to pay his telephone, Electric and his gas; He pledged to pay his water bill-He never let it pass. He pledged to pay his taxes, too, He always was on time,

But to Christ's cause on mission fields He never pledged a dime. 94. Many people give a tenth to the Lord--a tenth of what they ought to give. 95. You can give without loving--but you can't love without giving. 96. In the fourth century, Augustine, in a harvest sermon, said: "Our forefathers abounded in plenty because they gave God the tithe & to Caesar tribute. But now, because our devotion has receded, the imposition of taxes has advanced. We are unwilling to share with God, giving Him the tenth, & now, behold ... a taxgatherer takes from us that which God receives not." 97. The Lord loves a cheerful giver--until he brags about it. 98. A lot of people are willing to give God the credit, but not too many are willing to give Him the cash. 99. Money measures men. It measures their capacity & their consecration. In some instances money masters men. They become its slaves. In other instances, money multiplies men. Through the ministry of the money given by such men, missionaries have carried the Gospel to every continent. The Gospel is preached in thousands of pulpits, & tomorrow's leaders are taught & trained. 100. Do your giving while you're living, then you're knowing where it's going. 101. When it comes to giving, some people stop at nothing. 102. When we worry about somebody getting something for nothing, let him who has never himself got something for nothing be the one to throw the first stone. 103. What I spent, I had. What I kept, I lost. What I gave, I have. 104. The way to share much is to share a little each day. 105. No person is so poor that he cannot give a compliment. 106. True charity is helping those you have every reason to believe would not help you. 107. Feel for others--in your pocketbook! 108. Sincere charity is the desire to be useful to others without any thought of recompense. 109. Success in life ought to be determined, not by accumulations, but by contributions. 110. To find happiness, one must concern himself with what he owes the World, not with what the World owes him. 111. A good analysis of our finances is not how much of my money do I give to God, but how much of God's money do I keep for myself. 112. Give according to your income, lest God make your income according to your giving. 113. A man had a dream in which God said to him, "I have decided how much your income will be each week. I will observe how much you give to Me each week & then I will provide for you an income of exactly ten times that amount."

114. Not what we give, but what we share, For the gift without the giver is bare, Who gives himself with his alms feeds three, Himself, his hungering neighbour & Me. 115. The gold that came from Thee, Lord, To Thee belongeth still; Oh, may I always faithfully My stewardship fulfil.