Giving

Giving

Three Kicks in Every Dollar
William Allen White, a famous newspaper editor in Emporia, Kansas, once gave a 50 acre tract of land to the city for a park. At the dedication, he made the strange statement that there are "Three kicks in every dollar." He explained, "One kick is when you make it-and how I love to make a dollar! One is when you save it-and I have the Yankee lust for saving. The third kick is when you give it away-and the biggest kick of all is the last one."
It seems Mr. White discovered on his own what Jesus taught 20 centuries earlier: "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). Do you believe that? Want a big kick? Make a lot of money! Want an even bigger kick? Give your money to a worthy cause.
There is a "kick" in seeing needy people helped. There is a "kick" in seeing your money carry the good news everywhere. There is a "kick" in seeing your church touch the spiritual needs of the unsaved.
You, too, can get three "kicks" out of every dollar.

Let Me Give
I don't know how long I have to live
But while I do, Lord, let me give
Some comfort to someone in need
By smile or nod-kind word or deed.
And let me do what e'er I can
To ease things for my fellowman.
I only want to do my part,
To "lift" a tired and weary heart.
To change folks frowns to smiles again
So I will not have lived in vain.
I do not care how long I live
If I can give-and give-and give!

"And Then Some"
A successful businessman was once asked the secret of his success. His reply summed up success in three words: "and then some." He learned early in life that the difference between average people and the truly successful could be summed up in those three words. Top people did what was expected "and then some!"
Jesus taught the "and then some" principle. In the Sermon on the Mount he said: "And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two" (Matthew 5:41). "And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?" (Matthew 5:47).

Church Is Cheaper
A woman took her two small boys and a daughter to see Peter Pan at the matinee one Saturday afternoon. The tickets were two dollars and fifty cents each. The young daughter watched as the mother pushed ten one dollar bills under the window and received four tickets.
The next day the same mother and daughter were at church. When the collection was taken the child saw her mother open her purse, take out a quarter, and put it in the plate as it passed them.
The little girl looked up at her mother and in a clear stage whisper which everyone around could hear said, "Mother, church is a lot cheaper than a movie, isn't it?" A Parable of Life
Life is like another parable from another land. A blind Indian beggar sat beside a road, fingering the rice in his little bowl. Wearing only a loin cloth, he sat in poverty beside a road that stretched into nowhere both ways. The scarce travelers occasionally gave him a little rice. One day he heard the thunder of a chariot in the distance. It was the grand entourage of the maharajah. This was a moment that had never come before. Surely the great one would stop and give him baskets of rice.
Indeed, the golden chariot of the maharajah stopped before the poor beggar. The great one stepped down and the beggar fell before him. Then the sky seemed to fall in. "Give me your rice," said the great one. A fearful, hateful, scowl masked the face of the beggar. He reached into his bowl and thrust one grain of rice toward the maharajah. "Is that all?" said the great one. The beggar spat on the ground, cursed, and threw him one more grain of rice. The great one turned, entered his chariot, and was gone.
The beggar-angry, empty, and crushed-fingered the remaining rice he had hoarded in his bowl. He felt something hard, different from the rice. He pulled it out. It was one grain of gold. He poured out his rice, caring nothing for it now. He found one other grain of gold. Had he trusted the great one, he could have had a grain of gold for every grain of rice.

Why Be a Volunteer?
It's not for money, It's not for fame,
It's not for any personal gain.
It's just for love of fellowman.
It's just to lend a helping hand.
It's just to give a tithe of self.
That's something you can't buy with wealth.
It's not medals won with pride.
It's for that feeling deep inside.
It's that reward sown in your heart.
It's that feeling that you've been a part
Of helping others far and near
That makes you be a volunteer!

I Am Glad I Am a Teacher
How many times have I heard a fellow Christian say, "Oh, you mean you teach a class of little kids? Oh, you poor thing. You are a glutton for punishment." My mental reaction to such a statement is, "YOU poor thing. If you have never tried it, you don't know the wealth of blessing your are missing."
Poor thing, indeed! There are few moments so precious as seeing the dancing eyes of a little child as he sees the big fish (made up of a bleach bottle) literally swallow up Jonah (a puppet), and then to see relief come and his whole body relax and settle against his chair when he sees that "God took care of Jonah and He will take care of me, too, if I obey Him." Or, the excited voice of a little one tugging at Mother or Daddy to "come to see the 10 lepers that Jesus made well."
Me a poor thing? When I hear from three rows back the loud whisper, "Mommy, that's my teacher." Or when I receive the most moving, most enjoyable, most blessing-filled hour of the week, no, I wouldn't trade all that for a comfortable chair in a quiet adult classroom. Who knows, that Bible class I teach may lead someone to heaven who otherwise might not have known the way.
Sorry friend, that poor thing isn't me! The Fate of a Poem-Saved by a Downdraft!
Frances Ridley Havergal wrote one of her most famous poems while she was in Dusseldorf, Germany. She had gone to Germany to do some specialized study. While there, she saw a copy of Sternburg's great painting: The Crucifixion. The title above the picture was, "All this I did for thee; what hast thou done for Me?"
Inspired by the probing question, she wrote her famous poem, "I Gave My Life for Thee." But she was not happy with the poem at the time, so she threw it into the fire. But there came a strong downdraft which blew the paper out of the fire and onto the hearth. Feeling that this might have been providential, Miss Havergal took the slightly scorched paper, folded it, and sent it to her father in England. He composed a tune to match the words and had it published. However, the tune we now use with this superb poem was written years later by P. P. Bliss, an associate of D. L. Moody. The tune he wrote is now the one we use with this great song: "I Gave My Life for Thee, What Hast Thou Done for Me?"

Influence
Drop a pebble in the water
And its ripples reach out far;
And the sunbeam dancing on them
May reflect them to a star.
Give a smile to someone passing
Thereby making his morning glad;
It may greet you in the evening
When your own heart may be sad.
Do a simple deed of kindness;
Though its end you may not see,
It may reach like widening ripples,
Down a long eternity.

Leftovers
When you invite special guests to your home, do you warm up the leftovers in the refrigerator and serve them on paper plates in front of the television? Of course not. Most of us prepare a special meal, use our best dishes and arrange our schedules so that we can spend quality time with our guests. In other words, we offer them our very best.
How many of us invite the Lord Jesus into our life and then serve Him "leftovers"? We give Him time "leftover" from our work, our families or our recreation. We give Him talents "leftover" from our social organizations, our sports activities or our hobbies. We give Him money "leftover" after we pay our bills and our taxes and put some money aside for our vacation.
"Out of all the gifts you receive you shall set aside the contributions to the Lord; and the gift which you hallow must be taken from the choicest of them" (Numbers 18:29).
Have I given to the Lord who died for me the choicest, or have I given Him "leftovers"? Do You Know What Sacrifice Means?
Two wealthy Christians, a lawyer and a merchant, joined a party that was going around the world. Before they started, their minister earnestly asked them to observe and remember any unusual and interesting things that they might see in the missionary countries through which the party was to travel. The men promised-carelessly, perhaps-to do so.
One day in Korea, they saw in a field by the side of the road a boy pulling a crude plow, while an old man held the handles and directed it. The lawyer was amused, and took a snapshot of the scene.
"That's a curious picture! I suppose they are very poor," he said to the missionary who was interpreter and guide to the party.
"Yes," was the quiet reply. "That is the family of Chi Noui. When the church was being built they were eager to give something to it, but they had no money so they sold their only ox and gave the money to the church. This spring they are pulling the plow themselves."
The lawyer and the businessman by his side were silent for some moments. Then the businessman said, "That must have been a real sacrifice."
"They did not call it that," said the missionary. "They thought it was fortunate they had an ox to sell."

Maintain Purpose in Life
Mr. Brown ran a sanatorium for rich women who had nothing much to do. They had been idle so long together that their nerves got the best of them. They fancied all sorts of things wrong with themselves as they grumbled about their aches and pains.
Brown and his wife were getting rich listening to them and babying them. Then one of the women made a few repairs on her old clothes which she gave to the needy. Another woman took notice then did the same. Soon most of them were repairing old clothes. Then one delivered her repaired clothes and came back excited about how the poor folk received them.
Then all the women repaired clothes and delivered them to the poor families. The result? Mr. Brown and his wife found their sanitorium empty. The women had found purpose in life. The sanatorium was no longer needed.

I Dare You to Do It Again
A little church was having a homecoming service to which ex-members, who had moved away, were invited. One of the former members had become a millionaire. When asked to speak, the wealthy man recounted his childhood experience. He had earned his first silver dollar which he had decided to keep forever. "But when a visiting missionary preached about the urgent need for funds in his mission work, and the offering basket was passed, a great struggle took place within me. As a result," the wealthy man said, "I put my treasured silver dollar in the basket. I am convinced that the reason God has blessed me richly is that when I was a boy I gave God everything I possessed."
The congregation was spellbound by the multi-millionaire's tremendous statement until an elderly little man seated in the front row rose and said, "Brother, I dare you to do it again."

Tell Me Why
The movies say, "I'll entertain you, but you must buy a ticket first."
The restaurant asks, "Eat here but you have to pay the bill."
The insurance company offers to insure you, "But the premiums must be met."
The ball club says, "You'll see a good game, but you must have the price of admission."
The golf course says, "Play here but first pay the green fees."
The lake ranger says the fish are biting, "But you have to buy a license."
Then the Lord says, "In My church you will find spiritual food, fellowship, assurance of eternal life, consolation in time of trouble, spiritual blessings beyond measure and opportunities to do good to others and there is no specific charge. Pay as you are willing." And everybody tries to get by as cheaply as possible!
Can you tell me why? A Tithing Testimony
Many years ago a lad of 16 was obliged to leave home because his father was too poor to support him any longer. So he trudged away with all worldly possessions in a bundle dangling from his hand, resolving as he journeyed to set up in business as a soapmaker in New York.
When the country boy arrived in the big city, he found it hard to get work. Remembering the last words of his mother and also the godly advice given him by the captain of a canal boat, the youth dedicated his life to God, determining to return to his Maker an honest tithe of every dollar he earned.
So, when his first dollar came in, the young man sacredly dedicated ten cents of it to the Lord. This he continued to do. And the dollars rolled in! Soon this young man became partner in a soap business; and when his partner died a few years later, he became sole owner of the concern.
The prosperous businessman now instructed his bookkeeper to open an account with the Lord and to credit to it one tenth of all his income. The business grew miraculously. The honest proprietor now dedicated two-tenths of his earnings; and then three-tenths, four-tenths; and finally, five-tenths. It seemed as if his sales increased in exact proportion to his generosity, so that soon his brand of soap became a household word throughout the world.
The late William Colgate was this man whom God so singly prospered in return for his faithfulness to his Maker.

It Is More Blessed to Give
One day, Mr. L., a businessman living in a southern city, knocked at the office door of the Salvation Army. The Army captain answered and was very surprised to receive a gift of $100 from Mr. L. That was big money at that time and was much appreciated by this charity organization.
As Mr. L. started to walk down the sidewalk, he heard steps behind him. It was the Army captain hastening to catch up with him.
"Our baby is sick," he said, "would it be all right to use some of this money to buy milk for it?"
"Go ahead and use all you need for your child," Mr. L. replied.
A number of years later, Mr. L. was running for a high government office and was to make a speech in the city where the Army captain worked. The large auditorium was filled to capacity with interested listeners, and the Army captain was one of them.
When Mr. L. finished his speech, the Army captain stood up and asked permission to speak. He told the incident how Mr. L. had given $100 and about his sick child receiving the needed milk.
There was a thundering applause from the audience-and a decided victory for Mr. L. in his campaigning!
"Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after many days" (Ecclesiastes 11:1).

What Is Tithing?
Mathematically it is a tenth. "...and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto Thee" (Genesis 28:11).
Scripturally it is a law. "Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase" (Deuteronomy 14:22).
Morally it is a debt. "...Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings" (Malachi 3:8).
Economically it is an investment. "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven" (Matthew 6:20). "Give, and it shall be given unto you" (Luke 6:38).
Spiritually it is a blessing. "I will open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it" (Malachi 3:10).

Inasmuch
In Edwin Markham's lovely poem, "The Shoes of Happiness," Conrad, the old cobbler, dreamed one night that the Master would come to be his guest. When the dawn was yet young, he arose and decorated his little shop with bright and gay flowers and waited. When the Master would come, he would wash the feet where the spikes had been and would kiss the hands that the nails had punctured.
But the Master did not come. A beggar came, and Conrad gave him a pair of shoes. An old woman came bent from the weight of a heavy burden. He lifted the load off her back and refreshed her with food. And finally, just before the day was about to fade away into darkness, a little child came. Her eyes were wet with tears, and in pity Conrad led her back to her mother. But the divine guest never came:
Then soft in the silence a voice he heard
"Lift up your heart, for I kept My word.
Three times I came to your friendly door;
Three times my shadow was on your floor.
I was the beggar with bruised feet,
I was the woman you gave to eat,
I was the child in the homeless street."
"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me" (Matthew 25:40).

Giving to God
Years ago it was the custom for the people to bring their gifts to the front of the church. A well-known preacher was making an appeal to the people to give for a good cause. Many came to present their offerings of love. Among them was a little crippled girl who hobbled along at the end of the line. Pulling a ring from her finger, she placed it on the table and made her way back up the aisle.
After the service an usher was sent to bring her to the preacher's study. The preacher said, "My dear, I saw what you did. It was beautiful. But the response of the people has been so generous that we have enough to take care of the need. We don't feel right about keeping your treasured ring, so we have decided to give it back to you."
To his surprise the little girl vigorously shook her head in refusal. "You don't understand," she said. "I didn't give my ring to you, I gave it to God!" Lovely.
"Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7).

Success
Henry Ford once said, "Success is not rare. It is common. Very few miss a measure of it. It is not a matter of luck or of contesting, for certainly no success can come from preventing the success of another. It is a matter of adjusting one's efforts to overcome obstacles, and adjusting one's abilities to give the service needed by others. There is no other possible success. Most people think of it in terms of getting; success, however, begins in terms of giving."

Hard Work Appreciated!
A traveler had heard so much of the wonderful chimes of St. Nicholas in Amsterdam, that one day he went up into the tower of the church to hear them. There he found a man hard at work before an immense keyboard, thumping and pounding the keys.
The traveler was almost deafened by the harsh discordant clangor of the bells above his head, and hurried away wondering why people talked so much of the beautiful chimes of St. Nicholas.
The next day at the same hour he was in a distant part of the city sightseeing, when suddenly the air was filled with the mellow music of marvelously clear and full-toned bells.
"We hear the chimes of St. Nicholas," said the guide in answer to his question, and the man wondered no longer why travelers spoke enthusiastically of their melody. But he thought of the man in the tower, and wondered if he ever knew how beautiful his hard work became in the distance.

Unexpected Rewards
Three deer hunters from the city stopped at a humble farm dwelling and asked permission to stay there during deer season. The farmer and his wife graciously received them, and though crippled with arthritis, the farmer showed them some good deer haunts. Tired and hungry after an exciting day in the woods, they did justice to the piping hot meal that awaited them.
When each hunter had his deer, they made ready to leave. "Now, what do we owe you?" they asked. "Not a penny!" exclaimed the farm couple. Then they went on to say, "We have enjoyed your stay here. Come again!"
A few weeks later, two trucks drove into the farmyard. An electrician explained to them that he was sent to wire their buildings; the plumber in the other truck assured the surprised couple that they would soon have plenty of hot water in a sparkling bathroom and at the kitchen sink.
The three deer hunters had shown their appreciation this way for having had the privilege of staying there during the hunting season. The grateful recipients learned that their heavenly Father had a way to reward them for giving of their time and means. You can't outgive God!

Think of Another's Circumstance
"As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all" (Galatians 6:10).
"Auntie, you are putting some of your choicest rose bushes away in the backyard!" "Yes," answered Auntie, "and I am going to put some geraniums and pinks and other lovely flowers which will bloom all summer out there, too. I know they seem to be out of sight, but there is a woman who sits and sews day after day, week in and week out, at the upstairs windows in the dingy house opposite, and I'm fixing that corner for her."

Heaven Notices a Penny
It was Christmas time, and the bell tinkled. Many people had passed by the Salvation Army kettle on the busy corner.
Then a small boy-six perhaps-looked into the kettle and asked, "Mister, what is that money for?" The tall man ringing the bell leaned over and quietly replied, "It is for girls and boys like you. But they are children that need food and clothing and toys for Christmas. The money will buy those things. Do you see?"
The tiny lad with face aglow plunged his hand deep into his pocket. Then, reenacting the Miracle of Christmas, he placed his gift-a penny-in the kettle with the rest.
"Only a penny?" you say. But it was a gift straight from a little boy's heart. If it did not go unnoticed on the busy street corner, surely it did not go unnoticed in heaven.

Rockefeller's Testimony
"Yes, I tithe," said John D. Rockefeller, Sr., "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 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. Train the children to tithe, and they will grow up to be faithful stewards of the Lord."

He Gives Songs in the Night
C. H. Spurgeon once heard that in a certain part of England one could hear nightingales sing more beautifully than anywhere else. He journeyed there to hear for himself. He secured a room in the inn and was told, "As it begins to get dark, look out on the thorn bush. You will see the nightingale. You will hear his song."
But toward evening it turned cold and started to rain. Spurgeon despaired. Suddenly, he heard the beautiful, thrilling song of the nightingale, clear and sweet. He looked out the window. There perched in the thorn bush, with a cold rain pelting down, the little bird was lifting its voice in a truly beautiful song. He said, "It was so sweet and so beautiful that I do not expect to hear anything so thrilling until I hear the angels sing." Then he mused. "The God of the nightingale is the God whom I serve. In spite of darkness, cold, rain, or thorns-He can also give me songs in the night." When Longing for Quiet, Think of Jesus
Five girls took advantage of their graduation and went together on a vacation. It was a lovely break from the constant crowds with whom they had to mix.
"I dearly love my work," said one of them, "but sometimes it seems to me I would give anything to get away from people awhile. I never have a quiet moment to myself. There is always someone who wants to see me. Do the rest of you ever feel that way?"
"Oh, yes," said one; and, "Yes," sighed another, "I feel as though I would like to go off to a desert island where I would not see a soul."
Then a girl by the name of Mary spoke. "I know just how you feel. I have felt the same way. But when it seems to me I cannot stand it any longer I think of how the throngs followed Jesus, yet He never turned away. He must have been very weary at times, but He was never impatient with the crowd. That thought has helped me so often." A Better Kind of Indian Giver
An Indian one day asked Bishop Whipple to give him two one-dollar bills for a two-dollar note. When asked why, the Indian replied, "One dollar for me to give to Jesus, and one dollar for my wife to give." The Bishop asked him if it was all the money he had. He said, "Yes." The Bishop was about to tell him it was too much, when an Indian clergyman who was standing by whispered, "It might be too much for a white man to give, but not too much for an Indian who has this year heard for the first time of the love of Jesus."

Serious Commitment
A lovely story is told of the saintly Frances Ridley Havergal who wrote the lines we so often sing without due seriousness and commitment:
Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold.
It is a matter of record that this hymn was autobiographical. Frances Ridley Havergal did what she sang. In her writings is this personal testimony: "'Take my silver and my gold'now means shipping off all my ornaments-including a jewel cabinet which is really fit for a countess-to the Church Missionary Society. I don't think I need to tell you I never packed a box with such pleasure." This was giving with hilarity!

Timing Counts
Timing counts, too, so our obedience must be prompt. A businessman went to a missionary society with $280 toward sending a new recruit overseas. He was told that he was too late. They had just canceled her passage for lack of the money. In tears he then confessed, "God told me to give it some days ago, but I delayed."

Reward of Giving
When we stand before the judgment seat of Christ to render an account of our stewardship, we will fervently regret giving so little, since it is inescapably true that what we spend we lose; what we keep will be left to others; what we give away will remain forever ours.

Make a Better Day
Little things make a better day:
Being grateful for another morning by being cheerful on the outside even though you might be in physical pain on the inside.
Writing a little note of encouragement, congratulations, appreciation, sympathy or condolence to someone needing a little uplift.
A visit to a sick friend-but don't stay too long.
A telephone call to a lonesome friend.
Give a gift to someone.
Have a kind and warm greeting for a little child or an elderly person.
Stop and enjoy the flowers.
Get some little thing done that you have been putting off.
Admit a mistake to yourself and resolve not to make it again.
Show kindness to animals.
Move close to your family.
Explore the satisfaction of courtesy.
Be able to go to sleep at the end of the day with the feeling that you have been a more considerate person today than you were yesterday.
All these add to the sweetness and smoothness of life. They bring us to pleasant communion with others, nurture friendships, and prevent the interference of those petty sophistications and elaborate etiquettes that keep us apart from others.
Though small, they create a beneficent radiation which enriches us and contributes to our own ennoblement. They enhance a tender inclination for the pleasantness that comes with the satisfaction of having done good. They strengthen the soul. They make a good day because they make us better persons. A Love Thing
A Christmas candle is a love thing;
It makes no noise at all,
But softly gives itself away;
While quite unselfish, it grows small.

More Than a Tithe
On his tenth birthday, a sensitive boy received 10 shiny silver dollars from a thoughtful uncle. The child was very appreciative. He immediately sat down on the floor and spread the coins before him. Then he began to plan how to use the money. He set aside the first dollar saying, "This one is for Jesus." He then went on to decide what to do with the second, and so on until he came to the last dollar. "This one is for Jesus," he said. The boy's mother interrupted, "But I thought you gave the first dollar to Jesus." "I did," the boy replied. "The first one really belongs to Him, but this one is a gift to Him from me."

Repaying
When we think of reciprocating, too many of us think in terms of repaying our benefactor. Perhaps recalling an occasion in the life of D. L. Moody will give us a different perspective.
Once, when Mr. Moody was in New York, he was helped tremendously by R. K. Remington. As he was leaving on the train, Mr. Moody grasped his friend by the hand and said, "If you ever come to Chicago, call on me and I will try to return your kindness." Mr. Remington replied, "Don't wait for me; do it to the first man that comes along."

God's Bigger Shovel
A farmer was known for his generous giving, but his friends could not understand how he could give so much away and yet remain so prosperous. One day a spokesman for his friends said, "We can't understand you. You give far more than 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 into mine, but God has the bigger shovel!" Here was a man whose ethics of giving were controlled by the power of an indwelling Lord.

Lincoln, a Boy and an Orange
"I was eight years old when my father took me with him to Washington," said a man who was later prominent in national life. "It was during the darkest hours of the Civil War.
"We were walking on the street when a tall, thin man with very long legs, loose clothes and a frowning, wrinkled face, came striding toward us. His eyes were fixed on the pavement. His lips were moving. I remember thinking how cross he looked and what long strides he took, making his coattails flop about his legs.
"But I was more interested in watching a ragged little urchin between us, standing on the curb, his big eyes fixed on a pile of oranges in a vendor's cart. The vendor's back was turned while he made change for a customer.
"The tall man passed the boy at the same time we did. He stopped suddenly, plunged a hand into his pocket, bought a big orange, gave it to the boy, and went on.
"The boy was grinning and had already set his teeth in the orange, much to my envy, when my father asked him whether he knew who gave it to him. He shook his head, his teeth going deeper into the orange.
"'That was President Lincoln, lad,'my father said, 'Hurry and thank him.'
"The boy ran, caught the flopping coat, and as the stern face turned sharply, he called, 'Thank you, Mr. President Lincoln!'
"Suddenly the face was transformed as I have never seen a face since then. A beautiful smile covered it, making it what has ever since seemed to me one of the handsomest faces I have ever seen. A voice which thrills me yet said: 'You're welcome, boy. You wanted to steal it while the man wasn't looking, didn't you? But you wouldn't because it wasn't honest. That's the right way. I wish some men I know were like you.'" A Coat for Christ
"He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise."
It was a wild, wintry night. The temperature had dived to a polar position. Winds rose in shrieking crescendos and lashed the country with lethal blasts.
But the Czar's interests must be protected. A Russian soldier must patrol between two sentry boxes even on such a night. Poorly clad, the miserable man marched from one post to the other, shivering and chilled. Then it began to snow. Before long the hills which surrounded that frozen, forsaken place were covered with snow. The sentry was wrapped in the vicious embrace of a fierce, freezing blizzard.
Then a poor peasant happened to pass nearby on his way home. Answering the soldier's challenge, he identified himself and secured permission to proceed. But the peasant pitied the sentry. "You are cold and must patrol all night," he said kindly. "I am only a short distance from my cottage. Here, wear my coat tonight. You can return it to me in the morning."
The soldier gladly accepted the proffered wrap. But even the heavy borrowed coat could not keep out the cold which seeped through the sentry like poison. No wrap seemed warm enough on that night to fend off the icy fingers of death.
The next morning his comrades discovered the soldier frozen in the field. The peasant never recovered his coat. But he did see it again. A long time afterwards, when the peasant himself lay on his deathbed, he dreamed that Jesus appeared to him. "You are wearing my coat, Lord," the dying man said, recognizing the wrap he had loaned to the sentry.
"Yes," answered Jesus. "This is the coat you loaned to me that frightful night when I was on duty and you passed by."
"But Lord," objected the peasant, "You were not that soldier!"
"No," replied Jesus in the dream. "But inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto me. I was naked and ye clothed me!"

Thankfulness Comes From the Heart
A young girl sat at the counter of an ice cream store. "How much is an ice cream sundae?" she asked. "Fifty cents," the waitress said with hardly a glance at the child. The girl opened her fist and looked at her coins. She asked, "How much is a dish of just plain ice cream?" Annoyed, the waitress snapped, "Thirty-five cents!" The girl counted out 35 cents and handed it to the waitress. "I'll take the plain ice cream."
The waitress took the money without a word and brought the ice cream. After the small customer had eaten and left, the waitress, cleaning up, suddenly flushed with shame. There, placed neatly beside the dish were two nickels and five pennies-her tip. The Uncommitted Christian
Two close friends, a Jew and a Christian, often discussed their religions. Finally they decided to visit each other's place of worship. They went to the synagogue first. The time for the offering came and the Jew took a check out of his pocket and placed it in the offering plate. The Christian was very inquisitive so he moved about until he could see the amount of the check. It was for $27.50. He immediately turned to his Jewish friend and said, "Abe, is this your weekly or your monthly offering?" Abe turned to his Christian friend and said, "Why, don't you know I am an orthodox Jew and the Old Testament tells me that I should give one tenth of all that I make to the Lord? I thought you Christians did exactly the same thing." "Oh, no," the Christian replied. "Don't you know that we have been emancipated from the law and we are now under grace. We are free people; we are not bound by this law or any other." "And what do you do when it comes to your offerings to the church?" "Oh, Abe, that is simple. At the end of the week, we just give what is left over." "Really?" Abraham answered with surprise, "You almost persuade me to become a Christian."

Gain by Giving
On a farm in New York state is a pond and a little brook. When I last saw them, it was in the rainy season, and both were full to the brim with clean, pure water. It is in the dry season the difference in their natures shows up. The stream, constantly flowing to water the banks all along its course, still keeps pure and sparkling; it continues to draw from the underground springs at its source and to give freely as it goes along. The pond, neither receiving nor giving, hoards its precious moisture only to have its waters become foul and stagnant. It is the same lesson our Lord was trying to teach His disciples: We gain by giving and lose by keeping. After sharing the mercy of God and thus maintaining and increasing our own purity, we receive the peace of God in such abundance that it overflows to all around us.

Willing to Give All I Don't Have
A new convert declared his determination to give all that he had for the Master. He said, "Pastor, if I had fifty pigs, I'd give twenty-five of them to the Lord." "That's very nice," said the pastor. "If you had thirty would you give fifteen to the Lord?" "Of course I would," said the new Christian. "If you had ten would you give five of them?" asked the pastor again. "You know I would," he answered. Then the pastor said, "If you had two, would you give one to the Lord?" "Now Pastor, don't ask me that. You know I have only two pigs." A "Nickel" Heart
"Ah!" said a woman who in her poverty had done much for Christ and who had a great sum willed to her, "I cannot do as much as I used to do." "But how is that?" someone asked. Said she, "When I had a nickel purse I had a silver heart, but now I have a silver purse and I have only a nickel heart." A Drop in the Bucket
Let's not refuse to give the little we have; God will multiply it. I remember an elderly man who was giving very little, but it was truly sacrificial. He had a younger friend who was always making fun of him. "Such need in the world, and yet you think that with your few dollars you will make a difference! Old friend, what you give is only a drop in the bucket." But the old man with rejoicing in his face turned to his friend and said, "Yes, all that God expects of me is my drop and He will see to the filling of the bucket."