Every church member should cherish a spirit
of sacrifice. In every home there should be taught lessons of
self-denial. Fathers and mothers, teach your children to
economize. Encourage them to save their pennies
for missionary work. Christ is our example. For our sakes He
became poor, that we through His poverty might be made rich.
He taught that all should come together in love and unity, to
work as He worked, to sacrifice as He sacrificed, to love as
the children of God.
My brethren and sisters, you must be willing
to be converted yourselves in order to practice the self-denial
of Christ. Dress plainly but neatly. Spend as little as possible
upon yourselves. Keep in your homes a self-denial box into which
you can put the money saved by little acts of self-denial. Day
by day gain a clearer understanding of the word of God, and improve
every opportunity to impart the knowledge you have gained. Do
not become weary in well-doing, for God is constantly imparting
to you the great blessing of His Gift to the world. Co-operate
with the Lord Jesus, and He will teach you the priceless lessons
of His love. Time is short; in due season when time shall be
no longer, you will receive your reward.
To those who love God sincerely and have
means, I am bidden to say: Now is the time for you to invest
your means in sustaining the work of the Lord. Now is the time
to uphold the hands of the ministers in their self-denying efforts
to save perishing souls. When you meet in the heavenly courts
the souls you have helped to save, will you not have a glorious
reward?
Let none withhold their mites, and let
those who have much rejoice that they can lay up in heaven a
treasure that faileth not. The money that we refuse to invest
in the work of the Lord, will perish. On it no interest will
accumulate in the bank of heaven.
In the following words the apostle Paul
describes those who withhold from God His own: "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. 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
6:9, 10.
It means much to sow beside all waters.
It means a continual imparting of gifts and offerings. God will
furnish facilities so that the faithful steward of His entrusted
means shall be supplied with a sufficiency in all things, and
be enabled to abound to every good work. "As it is written,
He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness
remaineth forever. Now he that ministereth seed to the sower
both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown,
and increase the fruits of your righteousness." 2 Corinthians
9:9, 10. The seed sown with full, liberal hand is taken charge
of by the Lord. He who ministers seed to the sower gives His
worker that which enables him to co-operate with the Giver of
the seed.
The Lord now calls upon Seventh-day Adventists
in every locality to consecrate themselves to Him and to do their
very best, according to their circumstances, to assist in His
work. By their liberality in making gifts and offerings, He desires
them to reveal their appreciation of His blessings and their
gratitude for His mercy.
My dear brethren and sisters, all the money we have is the Lord's. I now appeal to you in the name of the Lord to unite in carrying to successful completion the enterprises that have been undertaken in the counsels of God. Let not the work of establishing memorials for God in many places be made difficult and burdensome because the necessary means is withheld. Let not those who are struggling to build up important enterprises, great and small, become disheartened because we are slow to unite in placing these enterprises in a position to do efficient service. Let all our people arise and see what they can do. Let them show that there is unity and strength among Seventh-day Adventists.