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daily devotional
"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.
Evening Devotion
"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 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 retu rns 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 Jesus'
spirit, that henceforth we may live not unto ourselves!
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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