October 26 - Morning"Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house." — Haggai 1:9
Churlish souls stint their contributions to the ministry and missionary
operations, and call such saving good economy; little do they dream that
they are thus impoverishing themselves. Their excuse is that they must
care for their own families, and they forget that to neglect the house of
God is the sure way to bring ruin upon their own houses. Our God has a
method in providence by which He can succeed our endeavours beyond
our expectation, or can defeat our plans to our confusion and dismay; by a
turn of His hand He can steer our vessel in a profitable channel, or run it
aground in poverty and bankruptcy.
It is the teaching of Scripture that the
Lord enriches the liberal and leaves the miserly to find out that withholding
tendeth to poverty. In a very wide sphere of observation, I have noticed
that the most generous Christians of my acquaintance have been always
the most happy, and almost invariably the most prosperous. I have seen
the liberal giver rise to wealth of which he never dreamed; and I have as
often seen the mean, ungenerous churl descend to poverty by the very
parsimony by which he thought to rise. Men trust good stewards with
larger and larger sums, and so it frequently is with the Lord; He gives by
cartloads to those who give by bushels.
Where wealth is not bestowed the
Lord makes the little much by the contentment which the sanctified heart
feels in a portion of which the tithe has been dedicated to the Lord.
Selfishness looks first at home, but godliness seeks first the kingdom of
God and His righteousness, yet in the long run selfishness is loss, and
godliness is great gain. It needs faith to act towards our God with an open
hand, but surely He deserves it of us; and all that we can do is a very poor
acknowledgment of our amazing indebtedness to His goodness. October 26 - Evening"All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again." — Ecclesiastes 1:7
Everything sublunary is on the move, time knows nothing of rest. The
solid earth is a rolling ball, and the great sun himself a star obediently
fulfilling its course around some greater luminary. Tides move the sea,
winds l stir the airy ocean, friction wears the rock: change and death rule
everywhere. The sea is not a miser's storehouse for a wealth of waters, for
as by one force the waters flow into it, by another they are lifted from it.
Men are born but to die: everything is hurry, worry, and vexation of spirit.
Friend of the unchanging Jesus, what a joy it is to reflect upon thy
changeless heritage; thy sea of bliss which will be for ever full, since God
Himself shall pour eternal rivers of pleasure into it. We seek an abiding
city beyond the skies, and we shall not be disappointed. The passage
before us may well teach us gratitude. Father Ocean is a great receiver, but
he is a generous distributor. What the rivers bring him he returns to the
earth in the form of clouds and rain. That man is out of joint with the
universe who takes all but makes no return.
To give to others is but sowing
seed for ourselves. He who is so good a steward as to be willing to use his
substance for his Lord, shall be entrusted with more. Friend of Jesus, art
thou rendering to Him according to the benefit received? Much has been
given thee, what is thy fruit? Hast thou done all? Canst thou not do more?
To be selfish is to be wicked. Suppose the ocean gave up none of its
watery treasure, it would bring ruin upon our race. God forbid that any of
us should follow the ungenerous and destructive policy of living unto
ourselves. Jesus pleased not Himself. All fulness dwells in Him, but of His
fulness have all we received. O for Jesu's spirit, that henceforth we may
live not unto ourselves! October 26 |