Tomorrow night, the Lord willing, I plan to discuss the subject, “Saved By Grace Through Faith.” Most of the trouble that we’re having in the Lord’s church today was brought about because of a misunderstanding of the word, “grace.” And since there’s so much misunderstanding, even in the Lord’s church, so much trouble, so much division, over the word “grace,” tomorrow night I plan to discuss that subject.
Tonight, we will finish our series on the subject of “Stewardship.” If man—and listen to me carefully—if man is at liberty to give as little [as he pleases], or whatever he pleases, without seeking information from the Bible, then why wouldn’t man be free to be baptized as he believes without seeking information from the Bible? This idea of an individual just making up his mind what he’s going to give, without studying the Word of God, is contrary…to…every…principle taught in the Word of God. And we need to realize that.
Man has always had a problem with his money for the simple reason that riches and Christianity are seldom compatible. Sometimes they are; in most instances, they are not.
Some year ago, I was in a meeting in East Texas. And they were telling me about a family—members of that congregation—who so faithful and dedicated. And this was during the latter part of the Depression. This family did not own an automobile. They lived three or four miles from the building, but they never missed a service. So faithful; so dedicated to serving the Lord. They owned a little 40-acre farm. They struck oil on this farm. In less than two years, they moved into Dallas because they had become rich overnight. And the people who were telling me about it said, at that time [the time we were speaking], yes, it had been possibly 30 years since they had been inside of a church building unless it was for a funeral or a wedding.
Now, what happened in that case? The Christianity and the riches did not harmonize. They were not compatible. And this is true with so many people. That’s the reason many are so sensitive about this subject—it is because of their identity with material things.
Years ago in the old Plateau church in Mobile where we labored for many, many years, there was a man who attended a Gospel Meeting that we conducted, and he obeyed the Gospel the first…Gospel…sermon he ever heard! And he became so faithful to the Lord’s church. He was there Sunday morning for Bible study, Sunday night, Wednesday night; if they’d announce some work in the building, he was always there—very dependable; so loyal to the church and to the Lord. And he began to miss on some Wednesday evenings. And I became concerned about this because he was so faithful.
And I dare say, there are members of this congregation—if they were not here on Wednesday night that Brother Dillingham or Brother Watson or one of the elders would call this member, because something’s wrong—they never miss. Others, possibly, you would not call because they may be there, and they may not.
But this person was so faithful and so dedicated. I want to talk to him. I said, “I’ve observed that you’re missing some Wednesday evenings. You’ve always been so faithful.” And I shall never forget what he said, and I think he meant it when he said it. He said, “Brother Black, you don’t have to worry about me.” He says, “I love the Lord and I love the Lord’s church. And I’d never forsake my Lord.” I think he meant that. But he didn’t know the power of money. He didn’t know what money could do to him. And he said, “The reason I’ve missed some on Wednesday evenings [is] I’ve taken another job on the side.” I believe they call that “moonlighting”? And it wasn’t long until he was making more money on the side job that he was making on his regular job, so he quit his regular job and took this side job. And he made a lot of money.
In a few years, he divorced his wife, forsook his children and hadn’t been inside of a church building in years and years. Now, what happened in a case like that? A man who was so faithful, so dedicated, so loyal to the Lord, but he didn’t know the power of money.
And there are many, many members of the Lord’s church today, I’m thoroughly convinced, that their riches and their Christianity are not compatible. And every individual should ask himself the question: Are my riches and my Christianity compatible? Does my money control me, or do I control my money?
Let me state at this point: It’s not wrong for a man to possess money. Some of the greatest men I’ve known in my life have been exceedingly wealthy men—very wealthy. Where would Christian education be today had it not been for these wealthy church members? Such schools as Freed-Hardeman, Faulkner University. But these men possessed their money; their money did not possess them. But one of the great dangers of material things is that they can possess an individual—control his life, control his thinking.
There was a time in my preaching life when I would get greatly disturbed when an individual would get upset over my preaching on the subject of “giving.” But I can understand that now—I’ve grown older; I’ve preached more; I’ve dealt with people more. And I understand now why the get upset. It’s because money, consciously or unconsciously, has become their god. And no one wants to have his god condemned.
It would disturb me very much. This lady, a few years ago—some think she’s dead now, this atheist, O’Hare [Madeline Murray O’Hare]…. I don’t know if I could sit in an audience and hear her talk, or not, if she were living. I don’t know if I could sit there and hear her blaspheme God, and ridicule God, because I worship God; I love God. And so, when money becomes a person’s god and when he hears a person talk about it, he gets upset.
I wish I had time to tell you of some of the things that I have experienced in teaching on this subject—not recently, because we’ve grown a lot; we’ve become better; we’ve become more knowledgeable of what the Bible teaches on this subject. But, I was speaking once in Ft. Worth, Texas—this has been years ago—on this subject. And I was standing at the door, trying to act like a Southern gentleman and shaking hands with the people as they left the building. And there was a man who wanted to start an argument with me; his face was red and the veins in his neck were swollen, and his eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head. And so, he was acting so ugly that I went over to the other door, because it was embarrassing to me with visitors coming out and him ahollerin’ and talking like that. And he came over there where I was. And I asked the preacher, after everybody left—I said, “Who in the world was that man that acted like some idiot at the door?” And he said, “That’s the stingiest, most selfish, most covetous man in this congregation. He’s just ??? [can’t understand what was said on the tape—jb], but all know him as a stingy, selfish man. Now, that’s the kind of people that get upset. That’s the kind of people that get disturbed. That’s the kind of people that say, “That’s all I hear anymore in the church is giving, giving, giving!” Well, that’s not true! You’ve been going somewhere else. You didn’t hear that in the church of Christ. No, you’ve never heard much teaching on giving in the church. The whole world knows that! And it’s because riches and Christianity are not compatible, and therefore, through the years, men have not talked about it very much.
So, I want to give you some WARNINGS that God gives us about money. If you have a pencil, I’d like you to write these Scriptures down that you may see the danger of money. And I have an idea that everybody here has some of it [money] on him. We have to have money to live. We buy groceries with it; we pay taxes with it; we pay utility bills with it. We have to have money to exist. But even though we have to have money in order to live, Christ has warned us over and over and over of the potential danger of this money. In other words, He’s virtually said, “I want to tell you about this [money] that you handle every day of your lives.”
The first thing that Christ tells us about money is this: That it is a MASTER—that is, it can become one’s master. In Matthew 6:24, Jesus Christ said, “No man can serve two masters….” Now listen to it carefully—“…for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” The word “mammon” means “money.” You cannot serve God and money.
Now, let me ask you. Why do you suppose Jesus Christ said to the people, “You cannot serve God and money”? “Money” is referred to here as a “god.” And there are two gods—the true GOD and the god of this world, the god of money, the god of material things. And Christ said you cannot serve both of them. So, Christ is teaching us here that money can become one’s master. It can actually control a man’s life, control his thoughts, control his attitude, control his disposition in life. Money is one of the most powerful things in all the world!
Look at all of the sins that come out of Washington, from our own senators and congressmen and representatives and in over 90% of it, money is involved. All these law suits we’re having now—what’s it all about? Money…money. This Martha Stewart [scandal]—what is it about? It’s money…money. All the Enron thing—what is it about? Money, money, MONEY!! People lie, steal, cheat, swindle!!—MONEY!!! It’s a powerful thing! It’s a dangerous thing!
And the reason many members of the church do not give as they should—money has CONTROLLED their lives! It DOES control their lives! And many times, instead of renouncing this powerful, cruel master, they yield to it. Money can become a powerful, cruel dictator in your life, and we need to realize that. We handle it every day of our lives. I have some of it on me—not much! But I have some of it on me. I have to have it to travel; have to have it to eat; have to have it to live. But Christ said, “I’m warning you. It can become your master. It can control you. It will control you to the extent that it will make you ANGRY to hear a man, in any way, condemn this god!”
So, every person needs to realize that this [money] we handle every day of our lives can potentially become one’s master. So, every man needs to ask himself the question, “Do I control my money, or does this money control me?”
Christ also tells us that, not only is money a master, but He says it is a deceitful thing. In Mark 4, and verse 19, Jesus Christ said, “And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the Word, and it becometh unfruitful.” Well, the question is, “How can money be deceitful?” Well, money can be deceitful—the man could be making a tremendous salary, and giving maybe $50 or $100 a week, and he thinks he’s a very liberal giver by the amount he’s giving, when in reality, he’s giving very, very little compared to the salary that he makes and the money that he has. This money can deceive him into believing that he’s very liberal in his giving, when really he isn’t. Well why? Because Christ referred to money as being deceitful. And He says that it is so deceitful that it can “choke the Word, and it becometh unfruitful.”
Money’s also referred to as “filthy lucre,” that is, something that is filthy. In 1 Timothy 3 and 3, in talking about the qualifications of elders, he said one could not serve if he’s “greedy of filthy lucre.”
Money’s also referred to as being something that’s “unrighteous.” In Luke, the 16th chapter, and verse 11, [Jesus says,] “If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon [unrighteous money], who will commit to your trust the true riches? Now, I will not say anymore about that verse, because we’ll talk about it later.
Money’s also referred to as something that’s “uncertain.” In 1 Timothy, the 6th chapter and verse 17, when Paul was talking to Timothy, telling Timothy what to preach, he said, “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches….” Now, think with me for just a moment. Why do you suppose that Paul told Timothy to tell the people not to put their trust in “uncertain riches,” unless there was potential danger there—unless man would likely do that, unless he’s taught better? So he said, “You charge them not to put their trust in uncertain riches.”
In 1 Timothy, the 6th chapter, beginning with verse 6, Paul said, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.” Now, notice its: “ 9 But they that will be rich…” Not necessarily the rich… “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.” Now, listen to verse 10: “10 For the love…of money…is the root…of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows,” [1 Timothy 6:6-10].
Now, why do you suppose that God is giving us all these potential warnings about money, and the potential danger of the material things of this life? If every member of the Lord’s church today was giving as God had prospered him, we could actually evangelize the world. No question about it. We have ministers to evangelize the world; we have modern communications now; we have ministers that can do it. But the reason we’re not doing it is because we’ve never been truly converted—and when I say “we”, I’m talking about the church as a whole, and not certain individuals. Every congregation, as far as I know, has as least a few liberal givers in that church. I’ve never been to a church but what they had some liberal givers in the church, but there’s so many churches that do not give as God has prospered them.
And you my keep this in mind: One can begin with the first chapter in Genesis and read through the last chapter of Revelation, and we cannot find where anybody on any occasion, under any circumstances, ever gave less that one tenth of his income to God. And we talk about “speaking where the Bible speaks,” then try to find that. Just try to find some place in the Bible where somebody on some occasion gave less that a tenth of his income to God. Well, somebody says, “Ananias and Sapphira may have done it [Acts 5].” Well, they wouldn’t count because God struck them dead for lying about their giving! So, you couldn’t count them. So it becomes a serious thing when we think about it—far more serious than most of us ever realized.
On one occasion, there was a young, rich ruler who saw Jesus Christ. And the Bible says he came running to Jesus and knelt down before Him. He didn’t stand as I’m standing, talking to you. He fell down on his knees. And he asked, “Good Master, what good thing shall I do to inherit the kingdom of heaven?” I think he was sincere in that. I think he really wanted to go to heaven. And I think he was a good man. In fact, he’s one of the best moral men I think I ever read about. Notice the great qualities: Number One—He was young; Number Two—He was rich; Number Three—He was a ruler. My, what a powerful man, and I’ve often thought, what a great apostle he would have made…if he had just been a faithful steward of God with the material things of this life. Because when Jesus Christ said, “Keep the commandments,” he was so righteous that he asked, “Which commandments?” And Jesus Christ gave him some: “…Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, 19 Honour thy father and thy mother….” Why, he said, “All these things have I kept from my youth up….” And he was so good morally that he asked Jesus, “…what lack I yet?” “Could there be something in my life that I’ve overlooked?”
I’m not that righteous. I wouldn’t have to ask Jesus, “Is there something in my life that I’ve overlooked?” [The young man is saying,] “I’ve kept all the commandments of God, as far as I know.” And Jesus says, “Yes, there is one thing you lack.” He said, “Go sell what you have, give to the poor, take up your cross and follow Me, and then you’ll have treasure in heaven.”
And the Bible says, this young man turned and walked away sorrowful. What all is implied in that word “sorrowful” I don’t know. He may have cried his heart out. [The young man is thinking,] “I just can’t do that. I’m wedded to these material things. I love these material things. I love them more than I love eternal life. I’ve been a righteous man in so many ways, but I just cannot depart [part] with this money.” Why? Because money had become his god. [He’s saying,] “I can’t renounce that god.”
Then Jesus Christ turned to His disciples and said, “They that are rich shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.” I want you to turn and read that verse. Will you turn there? Mark, the 10th chapter, and verse 23. Turn there and read this verse, because I want you to see the power of riches—what it can do to a man. I want you to understand what a good man this person [the rich, young ruler] was, morally speaking. And notice verse 23: “And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto His disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of heaven [God]!” He didn’t say it was impossible; He just said it’s going to be hard for a rich person to get to heaven.
Well, someone might ask, “Why does this bother you?” It bothers me because I am a rich person. And I’m not being facetious. I really think of myself as being a rich man.
Let me tell you something about my riches. I own a house that, where there’s a button, you can push it, and turn on all the lights in the building. I have a house, live in a house, that has a thing on the wall where you just set it, and if it is in the wintertime, it’ll heat the whole house. In the summertime you set it and that keeps the house cool. I live in a house that has a machine that, where you can put your clothes, and it will actually wash them for you. I live in a house that has a machine where you can take those clothes, put ‘um in another thing and it’ll dry them for you. (Some lady heard me talking about this once and said, “It’ll do everything except iron ‘um for you.”) I live in a house that has a refrigerator in it where you put food and keep it for several days. I live in a house that has a two-car garage, and I actually own two automobiles—one of them is an old one, but I own two cars. And you tell me I’m not rich?! I’m a rich man.
And I can tell you somebody else the Lord’s talking about. He’s talking about members of the Strickland church of Christ. You are a rich congregation. You ought to be ashamed to say you’re not rich. Did you know that since I started speaking tonight that over a hundred little babies throughout this world have already died of starvation?...Just since I started speaking. Their spindle legs; their swollen stomachs—their mother sat there and cried her heart out—watched that child die when she didn’t have milk in her breast to give that child. And then we say we’re not rich.
What has money done to you?!? How do you think? Are you thankful to God that you’re rich? And Christ said [that] it’s going to be HARD for you rich people to get to heaven, and I have an idea that in this affluent society in which we live [that] the thing that’s going to keep more people out of heaven is their attitude toward material things.
So, the disciples heard this [what Jesus said], and they were amazed—they were astonished to see this man walk away and to hear Christ say, “It’s going to be hard for rich people to get to heaven.” And then Christ said—to emphasize His point, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven [of God].” And then, they were greatly amazed; they were ASTONISHED at this point! A camel going through the eye of a needle?!? Easier for that to happen than for a rich man to go to heaven?!? And then He said, “With men, this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” [“With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”] Well, what is [or, why is it] impossible? It’d be impossible for man to put the camel through the eye of a needle. GOD could do it—I think it would still be rough on the camel—but God could do it if He wanted to!
But, somebody might ask, “Why would God use such an illustration?! Why would God Almighty say that it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle that for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven?!” He’s trying to impress upon the minds of His disciples what a terrible DEATH HOLD that MONEY can get on an individual, and only the power of GOD can break man loose from it!! That’s a powerful lesson, and Jesus Christ is the One Who taught it. So, if that will not make us think about our riches—material things—and then our giving of our means, I don’t know if what Christ, the illustration that He used here—the camel going through the eye of a needle…. [The thought is not complete. Perhaps the thought would end, “…well, I don’t know what will make us think about these things.”]
Well, the disciples heard it all. Peter heard it and he said, “Lord we’ve forsaken everything and followed Thee. What are WE going to receive?” Well, somebody might say, “I don’t think Peter ought to have been concerned about what he was going to get back.” Well, that’s just the difference between you and Peter, that’s all that would prove. Peter wanted to know what he was going to get back, and I think every intelligent person wonders what he’s going to get back. “We’ve forsaken everything, Lord. I give of my means as God has prospered me. What am I going to receive for it, Lord?” That’s what Peter asked. Jesus Christ said, “Everyone who has forsaken houses or lands, fathers or mothers, brothers or sisters, for My sake shall receive a hundredfold in THIS time and in the world to come, eternal life.”
And now, in the closing part of this lesson, I want to read to you the strongest…lesson…I ever heard on stewardship—on our relationship to the material things of this world. And it was spoken by Jesus Christ. And I want you to listen carefully as I read it to you:
“He who is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: he who is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
11 If therefore one has not been faithful with unrighteous money, who will commit to his trust the true riches?
12 If one has not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give him that which is his own?
13 For no man can serve two masters: either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will cleave to one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
14 And the Pharisees, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided Him.
15 And He said unto them, You are they that justify yourselves before men; but God knows your hearts: that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.”
Now, that’s the strongest lesson I ever read [on stewardship—on our relationship to the material things of this world.]
I want you to turn—and we want to briefly, and in conclusion, discuss these verses—turn to Luke, the 16th chapter. I want you to turn there, because I want you to read these words yourself, that we may have a better understanding of the material things of this life. Notice verse 10—notice what Christ said: “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.” Well, somebody says, “What does that mean?” That simply means [that] if I’m not a faithful steward with the little I have, I wouldn’t be a faithful steward if I had much.
Did you ever hear a person talk like this: “You know, if I had fifty million dollars, you know what I would do? I would call these preachers, Brother Dillingham and Brother Watson, together. Then I’d ask the elders to come in. And I’d say to you men, ‘I want you men to select some part of the world to send missionaries. And I’ll support these missionaries for years and years.’ You know, that sounds good, doesn’t it? But, you know what? I don’t have fifty million dollars. But, that’s what I would do if I had fifty millions.” That may be true and it might not be true. The truth about it is [that] if I’m not a faithful steward with the little I have, I would not be a faithful steward of God if I had fifty million dollars! I wouldn’t support missionaries any more than I support missionaries now!
Well, somebody says, “How do you know that?” I know that because Christ said it—“if you’re unjust in a little, you’d be unjust in much; if you’re not a faithful steward in a little, you wouldn’t be a faithful steward with much. So, now you know what you’d do if you had fifty million dollars! You would do with it just exactly what you’re doing with the little you have!” That’s what Christ said about it.
And now, the next statement, in my opinion, is the strongest statement that’s ever been made about money. And someone has said that money is mentioned over fifteen hundred times from Genesis through Revelation. But if it is mentioned fifteen hundred times, I’m sure this is the strongest statement that’s ever been made about it. I want you to listen to what Christ said: “If, therefore, one is not faithful with unrighteous money, who would commit to his trust the true riches?”
Well, somebody says, “What does that mean?” Well, that simply means, if a person’s not a faithful steward with these material things, he’ll be deprived of the true riches of life. But someone may ask, “What are the true riches?” Well, just suppose I should say, “I don’t know”? But there’s one thing I do know. I know if a man is not a faithful steward of God, he’ll be deprived of these true riches. But what are the true riches? Well, I know one thing—they’re not material things. That wouldn’t be the true riches of a life. The true riches of a life would be that deep, spiritual understanding of the Word of God, joy, peace, happiness, [and] contentment that one derives from living the Christian life. And Jesus Christ is saying, if one is unfaithful, he’s going to be deprived of this happiness, this joy, this peace of mind that one should derive in living the Christian life! And I don’t know. Maybe that’s the reason we’ve had so much fussing in the church throughout the years. Maybe that’s one reason we’ve had so much trouble, so much division. Maybe [that’s] because we have so many unhappy people in the church, and they’re unhappy because they’re unfaithful stewards of GOD, because Jesus Chris said [that] the unfaithful steward is going to be deprived of the true riches of life! I repeat—that’s the strongest statement, in my opinion, made about material things anywhere in the Word of God when Jesus Christ said [that] this unfaithful steward is going to be deprived of the true riches of life! That’s powerful teaching, my friend, and Jesus Christ is the One Who did it.
And in the next statement, He says, “If you have not been faithful in that which is another man;s, who should even give you that which is your own?” Well, somebody says, “What does that mean?” Well, let me give an illustration:
An individual rents an apartment. It’s a beautiful apartment—beautiful carpet on the floor; beautiful draperies. The family moves in there, and six months later you visit this family and they’ve spilled gravy and ink all over the carpet. They’ve written on the walls. The drapes are half-way torn down. And this disturbs you to the extent [that] you say, “You ought not to treat this apartment [this way]. This is a nice apartment you have here.” That individual says, “It’s not mine.”
You know what Christ says about a person like that? He doesn’t deserve to have anything. If you don’t respect those things that belong to others, “who should give you that which is your own?” And, of course, the bottom line is, God is the sole OWNER, and if we don’t respect those things that belong to God, they why should we expect to enjoy the true riches of life?
Then, the next verse about the two masters—we’ve already commented on that.
“And the Pharisees, who were covetous….” Now, that’s interesting. Notice that. See, Christ had made this speech, and then it says, “the Pharisees, who were covetous,” heard this speech, and what’d they do? Go up and shake hands with Him? Compliment Him? NO! When they heard this lesson I just read to you, “they derided Him”! They mocked Him. They ridiculed Him—for doing what? Preaching a lesson on GIVING!!
That’s the reason I don’t get upset when some member of the church complains or whines about hearing a lesson on giving, because I always think of the man that Jesus Christ talked about. [In effect, Jesus said,] “I know what’s wrong with you. You’re trying to live the Christian life, and you’re being deprived of the true joys; you’re unhappy; and you’re a potential troublemaker in the Lord’s church!” That’s what Jesus said about the man! So, the Pharisees criticized Jesus for doing what? Preaching on giving.
And then, Christ said to them, “I know you. You are they that justify yourselves before men; but God knows your heart.” And we must always remember that—God knows our heart. “That which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”
That’s the most powerful lesson I ever read on the subject of giving. We must recognize the fact that God is the sole owner or everything. In Psalm 24:1, “The earth is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” In Psalm 50:10-11, “For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. 11 I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are Mine.” They all belong to Me, saith God. Haggai 2:8, God said, “All the gold is Mine; all the silver is Mine.” In 1 Chronicles 29, and verse 14, David said, after they had accumulated all the wealth to build the temple—he had all the gold. God would not permit David do it, you know, because he was a man of blood, but he accumulated the gold to build the temple. And after he had all the gold accumulated, he said, “Who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for of Thine OWN have we given back unto Thee.” Of Thine OWN have we given back unto Thee!! And that’s exactly what we do in our giving—we just give back to God that which belonged to God in the first place.
Years ago, there was a man going to a place to preach to a congregation in a Gospel Meeting back before the days of many automobiles. There was a wealthy farmer that met him at the train station. They were riding out to the farm in the buggy, and they were discussing the Bible. This wealthy, liberal farmer asked the preacher, “Do you believe that the Bible teaches [that] a man should give at least one tenth of his income to God?”
And this preacher replied, “Yes, I believe the Bible teaches that.”
And in the conversation, this wealthy liberal farmer asked the preacher, “Do you do this?”
And the preacher said, “No, I don’t, but let me explain.” He said, “I have a wife and seven children. My entire salary is only $125.00 a month. I’ve never believed that I could give a tenth of that to God and successfully rear my family.”
And then, this wealthy, liberal farmer—in the conversation—said to the preacher, “I want to tell you how strongly I believe that God blesses one for liberal giving.” He said, “If you will resolve in your heart this next year to give one tenth off of the top to God, not because I’m telling you this, but because you tell me you believe the Bible teaches it; but if you resolve to do this, [then] at the end of the year if you’ll drop me a note—don’t necessarily write a letter, just a postcard—and say, ‘I tried this; it did not work,’” the wealthy, liberal farmer said, “I will reimburse you fourfold for every dime you gave. I’m able to do it financially. That’s how strongly I believe God blesses one for liberal giving.”
And this preacher said to him, “God being my Helper, I’m going to do that.” And he did.
At the end of that year, he said he looked back [over the past year.] He said, “I can’t explain it, but it seemed like everything fell into place better than it ever had in my life.” And he said, “When I realized this, I sat down and cried. I didn’t cry because God had been good to me. But,” he said, “I cried because it took the words of a man instead of the Word of God. God had been telling me ever since I’d been preaching, but somehow or other I could never believe it. This preacher tells me these things [Brother Black means, This farmer tells me these things.]. I believed it. I tried it. It works.”
I challenge you this week to think about how well you’ve been blessed, how good God has been to you, where you live, your bank account, your land, your cattle, your assets. Then ask yourself the question, “Am I going to give this year as God has prospered me?” And I sincerely believe [that] if you will, that you experience a joy you’ve never known before in living the Christian life.
If you’re subject to the invitation, we invite you to come while we stand and sing.