Conviction versus Compromise, Part 10

By MariaMaria #657 CM/FM 3463 8/03

Dear Family,

1. God bless you! I pray these GNs on the subject of finances are a help to you. Peter and I are praying and claiming the keys that as you put the Lord's counsel into practice you'll see immediate rewards and blessings that are especially meaningful to you personally. Our loving Husband is generous and longs to spoil you as His pets, and we pray there is evidence of that in your lives today and always.

2. In this GN I want to talk more in depth about offerings. This is a subject that we haven't written about extensively for many years. The giving of offerings has been a pillar of WS finances since the beginning. As you know, WS first existed on only offerings, until Dad implemented the tithe policy. We are extremely thankful for your giving of offerings.

3. Offerings are when you give over your tithe‚ or for you Charter members, when you give over your 14%. Giving offerings is not a thing of the past. The Charter says (as per "Charter Amendments 2003," point 34‚ GN 1033, page 56):

Basic Responsibilities of the
Charter Home

C. Tithes to World Services a minimum of 10% of its income, as well as contributes a further 1% to the Family Aid Fund (FAF), and 3% to the Continent's Common Pot, and shares with World Services from its abundance through added gifts.

(Excerpt from existing explanation of that point in the Charter:)

As the Bible and the Letters teach, the Lord expects His people to tithe. … In addition to tithing, the Lord indicates that He also expects His children to give offerings above their tithe. Malachi 3:8 says‚ "Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me. But you say, wherein have we robbed Thee? In tithes and offerings." This passage indicates that the Lord not only said His people were robbing Him via the nonpayment of their tithes, but also in the nongiving of freewill gifts and offerings when they had the financial capabilities of doing so, and so He wasn't blessing them.

So besides tithing on its cash and monetary income, a Charter Home is expected to share of its abundance with World Services. If a Home receives a substantial abundance—for example, a Home member receives an inheritance—they are expected to lay it at the Apostles' feet in accordance with Acts 4:34 and 35. We're not indicating that the Home has to give all of its abundance, but that it shares the abundance. In such a case, World Services' practice has always been to suggest that the person who receives such a windfall use some of it for their personal needs, and/or for their Home and area needs, and then share as much as possible with World Services so that the whole Family can benefit from the Lord's supply.

It is our belief that when the Lord supplies a large inheritance, gift, or other windfall‚ that He is generally giving it not only in answer to the local Home's prayers, but also in answer to the worldwide Family's prayers for finances.—And that He is using the recipient of that gift to help supply the need of the whole work. (End of Charter excerpt.)

4. (Mama:) Giving what the Bible calls a freewill offering (over and above your tithe) should not be limited‚ however, to the times when you receive an inheritance or a large amount of funds, or have an obvious surplus. The Lord, throughout His Word, has emphasized giving even when you don't feel like you have "extra" to give. Often the gifts He blessed the most were those that came out of very little to begin with, and were a great sacrifice for the giver. Look at the example of the widow's mite or the widow of Zarephath. You can read Dad's lesson about giving even when you don't have much to start with in the famous story of tipping the waitress and the lesson on "You Never Lose by Giving." (See "More Precious Pearls," ML #540:25-36, in the HomeArc.)

Decrease in Gifts

And Offerings

5. Giving offerings is definitely not passé or out of date in the Lord's eyes‚ but I'm sorry to say that offerings given to WS have gone way, way down in recent years. Recently our WS finance man brought up some questions that had been sent in regarding the tithe and offerings, and following are excerpts of the talk that Peter gave in response. Parts of Peter's talk are included in the GN about tithing, "Are You Robbing God," but this part pertains to offerings‚ so I'm including it here for you. I'm sharing it with you because it shows how serious this lack of giving has gotten. And it is serious, because WS gives back to the Family much more than just the tithe can finance, so we need gifts and offerings above the tithe in order to continue to produce all we're producing.

6. (Peter: ) Historically, through the more than 30-year history of the Family, the tithe has covered an average of 85% of the expenses, while the other 15% has been made up of special offerings to WS. However‚ and this is the interesting stat, during the 10 years from 1985 through 1994, or the last 10 years of Dad's life here on Earth, special offerings to WS comprised a full 25% of all of WS' incoming funds! In the last half of the '80s offerings (above the tithes) made up 20% of all WS income, and in the first half of the '90s offerings covered 30% of WS income.

7. We don't know exactly what happened, but after the implementation of the Charter in 1995, gifts and offerings above the tithe really went down‚ to the point where WS is now struggling to be able to keep up the level of services that we're giving to you. In the last half of the '90s, offerings to WS were down from the previous 30% of WS income to 10% of WS income, and so far in the 2000s they have dwindled down to only 5% of WS income. In other words, for 10 years, 1985 through 1994‚ offerings to WS above the tithe supported a full quarter of all WS funding; whereas since the Charter in 1995, offerings have diminished to the present 5%, despite the monumental financial burdens WS has undertaken during that time.

8. When we put the boards into action‚ they had to be paid for. We didn't just print money to pay for their expenses, and we've struggled to do it. I dare say the board members and especially the VSs are really struggling to cover their financial needs right now. And if there was more money‚ we'd give those worthy and hard-working folks more money, because they're helping the Family so much and filling a very great need.

9. For example‚ last year we ended up spending significantly more money than we brought in. Had we not received one particularly large gift/offering, we would have been way‚ way, way in the hole. We depend on those gifts and offerings! So far this year we haven't had any big gifts to make up for the drop in extra offerings to WS, and we feel it! And the VSs feel it‚ and the units, individuals and Homes receiving gifts and budgets from WS have begun to feel it. (Note: At the time Peter gave this talk, we had to cut all budgets down by a certain percentage due to lack of money.)

10. You might look at offerings as‚ "Well, it's extra giving." And some of you might think, "I don't want to give extra to WS because they have plenty already. Maybe they'll just spend it on themselves." Let me tell you, it's those offerings above the tithes that actually make it possible for us to continue to give the Family so many of the goods and services we provide. If we don't have that extra, we will have to cut down our services; we'll have to start "cutting the fat‚" as Dad used to always do. He'd say, "Well, cut the fat. If you don't have the money, keep the meat and cut the fat." So we'd just start cutting the fat, as in pubs or music or services that are a blessing to your life or to your Home, but not totally essential.

11. So when we're asking for gifts and offerings, it's extra from you, and we understand that, but it's not like, "Oh‚ that's just going to give WS a bunch of extra money to pad their pockets." Your offerings help to keep us going, they're essential, and without them we'd have to stop some of these goods and services that we're able to give you. So don't think, "I don't want to give more than my minimum tithe to WS because it's extra and they don't need it." We do need it. It's not really extra for us. It's extra for you to give it, but for WS' services it's essential.

12. Thankfully there have been a few folks who've gotten inheritances and other large gifts and they've been willing to share abundantly. We're not talking about every penny of any inheritance or windfall that you receive. But if you have any extra money or you get an inheritance, you should think and pray about giving part of it to the Lord as an offering. Send WS a substantial portion of it so that we can do our job for you and the rest of the Family, so that we can continue to give you the basic goods and services that we do now. That's important.

13. It's a need, and as our finance man pointed out, "WS operates on tithes and gifts and offerings. All that giving put together is what allows us to do the job." In Malachi when God was so mad at the Jews‚ He said, "You've robbed Me in tithes and offerings." They weren't giving their tithes; they weren't giving gifts and offerings. And undoubtedly the Lord knew that for the services of the temple or for whatever reason, it required both.

14. But again, if you give, you receive. And you don't only receive from WS, you receive right from the hand of God. There's testimony after testimony after testimony of people who've given some extra, and then the Lord has blessed them abundantly. There's also testimony after testimony after testimony of people who withheld their tithe or withheld in gifts and offerings‚ and then they lost it.

15. I can think of a testimony of somebody who got what I believe was an inheritance and they felt, "Well, I don't really want to give. I'd rather put it in the stock market and it'll gain money, and then I can give more to the Family." Then, bammo, the stock market fell and they lost most of it! Had the person given, the Lord would have seen to it that they were repaid! Who knows, they might have gotten a king or a friend or a contact or somebody to give them free rent for a year. You can probably think of similar testimonies. (End of talk from Peter.)

Quotes from Earlier Letters

16. (Mama:) To clarify further about offerings, I want to share a few quotes from earlier Letters, and even a few more recent ones. I hope you don't find it boring that I've included published quotes in this series. I do that for several reasons: For one, I know there are many younger members of the Family who've probably never read these quotes from older Letters. Secondly, I know most of you are busy, and you probably have quite a list of subjects that you need to study up on or are working on, so I'm trying to make it easier for you. Thirdly, when we address a subject that hasn't been covered for a long time, it's understandable that even the FGAs who are familiar with the earlier Letters will have forgotten many of the details of what Dad said. And finally, with the Lord putting such an emphasis on accountability, it's important for you to fully understand why you are accountable, which can only be clearly conveyed by showing you what has already been published and what you're responsible to know and obey.

17. (Dad: ) God's original standard of 10 percent of your total take for the Farmer and his Family, the Shepherd and his Staff, the High Priest and Levites of the temple headquarters who process your sacrifices and offerings for the Lord and issue you His instructions, would be a good start for those who can, the tithers, plus additional offerings from those whom God has blessed abundantly above their own needs to help the poor and make up for the lack of those who cannot (ML #315C:25, Vol.3).

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18. (Dad:) Even if you faithfully pay your required 10% just because you have to … if you rob Him in offerings, gifts above your tithe, which you could have given and you're able to give‚ if you could easily give more than your tithe but don't, God will take a collection!

19. If you don't also give Him an offering when you can, He will take a collection, which will far outweigh what you could have given! So you'd better watch out you don't try to rob God of tithes and offerings! He says‚ "Ye have robbed Me of tithes and offerings!" So you'd better not try to rob God of His tithe or even a little tiny part of it!

20. And you'd certainly better not even rob Him of offerings that you could have given above the tithe! If you can give more than the tithe, God will expect it of you that you should freely give it.

21. If you're able to give more than a tithe and you don't give it, God will take a collection and you'll be sorry! He can collect a lot more than you should have given.… So if you rob Him either in tithes or in offerings, God will reward you accordingly with more expenses and more losses and more costs and more problems and more troubles and more illnesses and accidents and loss of income, business, jobs…

22. The tithe is not a gift; it's a tax, God's tax, God's 10%! …The tithe goes to your temple, WS, His modern spiritual temple and present-day governmental authority of His Church‚ which in the Family is World Services.

23. God has a perfect system of rewards, dividends, interests‚ repayments, etc., exactly 100-fold! … He's really the pay-off!—And a bigger payer-offer than any! He really gives you back a mint for your investment!

24. God is no piker! He's no skinflint! He's not chintzy! When you give to God, He will give you back much more than you gave, not a little tiny fraction of a few percentage points like the selfish banks and brokers! But He'll give you back many times over! … That's how we feel about it and that's God's Law of tithing and giving.

25. God requires the 10% tithe for His WS temple ministries, and expects gifts above that if you're able … and God will more than reward you and repay you many times over, from 1000% to 10‚000%! (ML #928:233-236,253–254,259-261, Vol.8).

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26. (Dad: ) Give until it hurts! That's the kind of giving God likes.—A cheerful giver who gives until it hurts and enjoys it because he knows it's going where it's needed and belongs and will be an eternal, immortal investment with eternal dividends in immortal souls! (ML #1208:27, Vol.12).

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27. (Dad:) If you want to continue to receive the blessing of the Lord, you must obey the Lord and give Him His due and share with Him the blessings that He's given you and give as much as you possibly can.—Not even just one-tenth, that's the minimum, your tithe! But also your gifts and offerings above that‚ as much as you can possibly send to help make our great work possible.

28. … Please don't fail the Lord and us and the lost through your neglect and your slothfulness and your forgetfulness to give as you should give‚ not only to tithe, but to give extra gifts and offerings as the Scripture exhorts (Gen. 28:22; 2Sam.24:24; 1Chr. 21:24; Mal.3:8-10; Pro. 3:27; Luk.10:7), so that we don't have to harp on this subject and keep begging you for money‚ which is something we have seldom done in our Family.

29. But when the time comes that I have to beg you to support God's work, I'm not ashamed or afraid to do it! In fact‚ I almost have to do it angrily because it's usually as a result of your failure when you neglected to take care of God's work as you should and even as you could! So please, beloved, don't fail the Lord or the lost in failing to pay your tithes fully and give extra gifts and offerings beyond! (ML #1251:56,60-61, Vol.13).

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30. (Dad:) God's Word says that God said to the children of Israel in the last book in the Old Testament, the last time that He even spoke to them or gave them a prophet or the Word of God for 300 years!—He said, "Will a man rob God? Yea‚" He said, "Indeed ye have robbed Me of tithes and offerings!" (Mal.3:8). So He cut them off and He cut them out of the land of Israel and they had some of the worst times they had in their whole history during those 300 years of the Maccabean Wars with their enemies! No prophets, no Word of God! (ML #1320:3-4, Vol.14).

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31. (Dad:) Our basic message is free! You can even receive it on the streets for nothing! But the extra blessings of all these other pubs must be deserved, merited and supported by faithful good works and tithing!

32. … They cost us a lot! They cost our pubbers and producers and printers a lot!—And somebody's gotta pay for'm!—You!—Or somebody for you!—With tithes and extra offerings! About half our Family gives more than enough so the other half who can't give enough can share these blessings! Which are you? But we can't share all these blessings unless you give at least what you can. (ML #1321:6-8, Vol.14).

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33. (Dad: ) The message I got was that we would be blessed enormously financially, and the Lord would give us tremendous financial power … that He would give us far more if we ourselves were giving sufficiently financially.

34. The question was, "Who is not giving?" Somehow, somewhere, somebody is not giving enough. … I just know that you can't outgive God, and that if the Family were giving enough, the Lord would give us enough financially. The Family is giving more than enough of their lives and their services, but why is it that the Lord is not blessing them more financially?

35. Who isn't giving? I just know that God in this dream was very specific to say that if we gave enough, He would give us back more than enough. … The Homes barely scrape by and give their 10%, but the Lord promised to give us more than enough if we were giving enough. He said He'd "open the windows of Heaven and pour out such a blessing there wouldn't be room enough to hold it" (Mal.3:10). But He also said in the passage of Scripture I got, "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed Me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed Thee?—In tithes and offerings" (Mal.3:8). Could it be that they give their tithe, but they're not giving offerings? (ML #2937:5–9, Lifelines 21).

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36. (Mama:) I don't know if you're aware of it or not, but in today's more Bible-believing and practicing denominations, most church members tithe to their churches just like you do. But in most cases‚ what they usually get for their tithe is their preacher's one-hour weekly sermon, their church building, and sometimes a weekly four-page bulletin which is often more of a social calendar than a spiritual feeding. That's it! Everything else costs extra! If they want to read a book written by their pastor or by the founder of their church, they buy it. If they want a music tape produced by their church or denomination, they buy it. If they want a video produced by the church or denomination for their children, they buy it.

37. Consider the difference between that and what the Lord blesses you with because you are faithful to give your tithe and offerings. (ML #3049:64,65, Lifelines 23).

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38. (Peter in January of 1997:) While the 30% increase in the tithes to WS has made a big difference, there has been a substantial decrease in gifts and offerings. While the tithe income has increased, so have WS expenses, to the point that the tithe income barely covers the monthly outgo. If you wonder where all of the funds are going, just look back at the increase in the amount of material WS has produced—the pubs‚ the audio tapes and video tapes that have been sent to you …

39. In the past‚ though the monthly tithes were less, the gifts and offerings were much higher. When someone received an inheritance or some other windfall, they generally gave a large portion of the funds to the Family through WS. This made it possible for WS to give to the Family in a number of ways, including audio and video tapes, pioneer gifts‚ and other special services. The fact that these gifts and offerings have decreased makes it very difficult for WS to continue pouring out as much as it has recently.

40. … While we're very thankful for your continued giving through your monthly tithe, we ask that you please also be sure to give of any abundance that the Lord has blessed you with. Remember, when you give to WS, you're giving to the Lord and the whole Family. WS uses all of the funds which come in each month to serve you. So please be faithful to give. (ML #3102:68-70, Lifelines 24).

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41. (Peter: ) … Undertaking major new projects is usually contingent on income from your special gifts and offerings above your tithe, or from windfalls of some sort. God bless you for your faithful giving! (ML #3136:150‚ Lifelines 24).

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42. (Peter:) A lot of you get personal gifts that you don't tithe. Some of your parents decide to give you large sums of money, or you receive inheritances. You think, "If I get the cash, I'll have to tithe it." So you ask your mom or dad to just buy you a house or a car, because that way you don't have to give to God.

43. Some of you leave things with your families or parents—apartments that they're renting out for you—and you're accumulating wealth out there, not giving it to God and trusting Him to care for you.

44. You don't think God sees that? You don't think that He thinks, "That's pretty selfish; they don't even want to give to Me. Not only do they not want to share with others, but they don't even want to give to Me. I mean‚ I'm God, I'm Jesus. I'm your Husband!" You're withholding. (ML #3453, GN 1038).

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45. (Peter prays on Brazil video:) Jesus, You said they have robbed You in their tithes and offerings, and they have been a poor testimony due to their lack of faith for You to supply through follow-up. They do not share their blessings of supply‚ nor desire to share the credit for what You have done through them. They have been deceived, thinking their own arm has saved them. Please cleanse them of their lack of faith for supply‚ from leaning on the arm of the flesh and not sharing and giving to You what they owe You. Fill them with faith, and loving, sacrificial, giving spirits—no matter whether it's goods, time‚ or funds—and help them to know that in doing so it is holy, acceptable unto You, and their reasonable service. (ML #3455:244, GN 1039).

What's In It for Me?

46. (Mama: ) You have surely gotten the drift by now that Peter and I are making a point about the need for you‚ dear Family, to be more generous in giving offerings to WS. We desperately need the funds, and we're sincerely asking for your help. With this GN we're unfortunately giving notice that if things don't improve with WS finances, we will not be able to continue to offer the services that we have been, services that you need. We would prefer to be able to do more, not less! But in order to do so, we must have more support in the form of full tithes and offerings.

47. There is more to it than this, however. There is also the angle of what you stand to gain by increased giving. I have thought and prayed a lot about offerings—not only about how much WS needs them, but also about how the Lord looks at offerings and how He rewards the givers. This is a major part of the message of this GN; this is the "what's in it for me?" part that I think you'll find interesting.

48. It's only natural that you would wonder about what you'd receive for your giving. I know it's a sacrifice for you to give money as an offering when you have so many other needs and expenses‚ a multitude of legitimate things you'd like to do and buy. We are very, very thankful for your offerings! The Lord knows it's a sacrifice, too, and He understands that you need encouragement that you will receive in return. That's why He gave so many promises of His blessings for your giving. He's not demanding that you give with no hope of receiving; He's practically begging you to give so that He can pour the blessings on you in return, over and above what you gave. (I'll come back to this later, in detail.)

Review of Dad's

"Dream About Finances"

49. When thinking and praying about offerings, it came to me that one of Dad's last messages to the Family before his Homegoing was on giving, if you recall, in "Dream About Finances" (ML #2937). I'll include a few quotes here as a review, since it's probably been quite a long time since most of you read that Letter.

50. (Dad: ) I had a dream with a message that if the Lord's children gave abundantly, the Lord would more than give to them abundantly, and therefore they would have a tremendous income! In the dream the Lord was giving several examples of men who gave, like R. G. LeTourneau. He started off giving 10%, and the Lord so blessed him that by and by he was giving 90%. He started out giving 10% and living on the 90%, and the Lord so blessed him for it that pretty soon he was living on the 10% and giving 90%! He built a big factory in Georgia and supported the Toccoa Falls Bible Institute and many missionaries. The more he gave, the more the Lord gave, and he just couldn't outgive God!

51. It came to me that we should be blessed to overflowing to where we are extremely powerful financially! If we gave more, we'd receive more! …

52. The picture was that the Family became very‚ very blessed financially. Because we gave so much, the Lord gave so much. We not only would be a spiritual power‚ but the Lord would make us a financial power!

53. The question was, "Who is not giving?" Somehow‚ somewhere, somebody is not giving enough. …

54. I just know that you can't outgive God, and that if the Family were giving enough, the Lord would give us enough financially. …

55. The Homes barely scrape by and give their 10%, but the Lord promised to give us more than enough if we were giving enough. He said He'd "open the windows of Heaven and pour out such a blessing there wouldn't be room enough to hold it" (Mal.3:10). But He also said in the passage of Scripture I got, "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed Me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed Thee?—In tithes and offerings" (Mal.3:8). Could it be that they give their tithe‚ but they're not giving offerings?

56. Maybe you could count what they are giving out in the way of "consider the poor" ministries and various other projects that they have underway as offerings. Perhaps those are their offerings right in their fields‚ something above their tithes. (Maria: But they don't give financially to that.) Well, they do in a way‚ because it costs them money to go to these hospitals, institutions and places where they minister. (Maria: Yes, it's true, because it costs them what they would normally be doing‚ which is getting out and distributing the tools, etc. They don't do that because they are doing these other things for free. So that's true.)

57. The picture was that God would so bless us financially that we could almost rule, rather than our present financial suffering. Then the Lord gave me a string of examples of the men who had given a great deal and how God blessed them mightily financially, giving them far more than they had given. Where are we lacking in giving? We know we are lacking in seeking and knocking and asking, therefore we don't have it to give. But the question was: What more can we give than we are giving?

58. Is the Family failing to give? Is WS giving all it can? (Maria: WS has wanted to give more, but we have tried to keep from dipping into our reserves, as you've always taught us.) Well, that's one thing that came to me, have we given enough? Are we to reserve or are we to give? To reserve means to keep back. Maybe we need to give out most of our reserves‚ sharing them with our Homes.

59. It was a very, very strong dream, a message dream, that somebody somewhere is lacking in giving! Could it be us? Could it be World Services? Who is it? That was the message, that we are not giving enough. Maybe we're all not giving enough. Maybe the Family is not giving enough along with World Services, or God would be mightily blessing us financially, pouring out so much that we'd not be able to hold it, we'd have to give it away.

60. Well, something is wrong somewhere! And the emphasis in my dream was that even what little the Lord is giving we are not passing enough of it on to others‚ or the Lord would just pour out such a blessing that there wouldn't even be room to hold it! …

61. We give back all of the income to the Family, really, because even the small percent WS operates on all goes to benefit the Family. The only thing I can think of that perhaps we have not given enough of is the reserves we maintain for emergencies.

62. That was a very encouraging dream. It just spoke so specifically about how if we'd give everything we've got, the Lord would give more until there would not even be room enough to hold it! (ML #2937:1,2,3‚6,7,9,10‚13,15,19,21,22,38, Lifelines 21.)

(Note: The Letter "Dream About Finances" was given in August 1994. From October '94 through January '95 WS gave away $50 to every DO Family member as seed corn for each Home to be able to order a basic stock of tools from which to operate. At that point, in 1995, the Family Aid Fund began and the FAF continued to supply $50 to each new member joining or for each new baby, and WS began to tithe 10% of all its income to the FAF for your benefit.)

63. (Mama:) This talk from Dad definitely supports the spiritual principle that you never lose by giving, and that if you withhold, if someone is not giving enough, it can cause your finances to dry up.

64. Reviewing this Letter brought up several questions: Do your CTP projects actually "count" in God's eyes as your offerings? In "Reach the Rich" the Lord gave a strong message about how many of you had gone overboard with your CTP works. I couldn't help but wonder, therefore, if Dad would have some additional counsel on this subject not only now that he's in Heaven and has so much better insight and understanding, but also since a number of years have passed since he had this dream and many of the CTP projects have since needed to be minimized or even let go of in order to concentrate on witnessing and reaching the rich and educated, the labor leaders.

65. I asked Dad for an update on this "Dream About Finances" message‚ as it's crucial that we understand this clearly. Peter and I don't want to be asking for more offerings if the Lord and Dad feel you're already giving enough in other ways. And if that's the case, then the Lord would have another plan to provide the finances that WS needs, in which case we'd need to find out what that plan is.

66. I also asked the Lord if there is any way that WS could give more at this point in time, to lead the way. Generally speaking, we're stretched as tightly as we can be; our budgets are as low as can be in order for us to continue to effectively operate, without cutting back on our services to you. But I asked the Lord if we could give from our reserves, similar to how the Lord led Dad to do at the time of this dream. (This answer coming a little later in this GN.)

67. Here is Dad's further counsel and clarifications on offerings, CTPs, and where we go from here. God bless Dad, he is still anointed by the Lord, as he always was, to tell it like it is and not pull his punches. Some of you need this message more than others, but there's good counsel and lessons in here for all of us, regardless of how much we've already been giving.

New Counsel from Dad

On Offerings and CTPs

68. (Dad speaking to the Family:) Since coming to Heaven it's become clear to me that many of you have grown quite stingy in some respects. Along with division entering the Family, and a substantial amount of worldliness and carnal–mindedness, and a whole slew of other backslidings that the "Conviction versus Compromise" series brought out‚ your giving of special offerings to WS has greatly diminished, almost to a trickle. This is a sad lack, and one that ends up hurting you and many others who might have benefited from those gifts, as well as disappointing the Lord.

69. In our earlier years‚ WS existed almost completely on special offerings, and even after the tithe was instituted‚ a good quarter of WS' support still came from special offerings. But as time has gone by and selfish influences have infiltrated the hearts and minds of some, the natural reaction has become to "keep more for myself." That is a part of compromise; it goes hand in hand with it. Withholding special offerings was just another part of the compromises that many of you have become involved in.

70. Most, but not all of you, have continued giving your ten percent. But do you want to know how God looks at it? He doesn't just look at whether you give your ten percent. He's thankful for that, but what about your love for Him above and beyond the call of duty? He looks at what you have left in your pocket that you didn't give. How can the Lord bless you if you've kept more than your share? God fills the hungry hearts and He also fills the empty wallets, but if your wallet has funds squirreled away, then there's no room to fill it.

71. Let me tell you, if you are withholding from God and from God's work, He will definitely withhold from you! Not because He wants to! Not because He's a mean God Who hates you! But simply because that's the way the spiritual principle of His supply works: If you give it out, He keeps it coming back in. If you hold some back‚ it's like a stone in the way blocking the flow; nothing can get past it.

72. It's a spiritual principle, and since God is a Spirit operating things from the spirit world, the only way He can increase your supply is if you remove that blockage and give away what He has already given you. You give it away, and God will repay, it's as simple as that. That's the way He works! What more can I say?

73. It's time for the Family to now restore this vital principle of giving to its rightful place in their foundation. Along with restoring unity, minimizing ungodly influences, staying separate from the world, preaching the meat of the Word, reaching the rich, staying true to the Word revolution, etc.‚ one of the major principles on which your modus operandi should work is giving all that you can to support the work financially, and one of the main places this extra giving needs to go is to WS.

74. The Scripture says, "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse." Now where is the storehouse? The storehouse is the house of the Levites‚ and in the Family that is WS—not because that's where they store the money, but because that's where the Word of the Lord that feeds the entire Family is gotten, refined, stored, and then sent out to not only nourish, but to lead and guide the entire Family! That's also where the core of government and administration emanates from, but more importantly, these are they who are using these funds to supply the great demands that constantly come in from around the world!

75. Have you looked at the financial charts WS has provided you? Look at the tremendous amount of funds that go to missions!—To the Eastern European Asian area, to Africa‚ to China, to the Mideast, to South America‚ then to the Activated ministry, to the boards, to the Regional chairmen, to the VSs‚ to the National chairmen, to the publications, to the translations‚ to the local language Lit-Pics, to the studios, to the GP products‚ to new tools, to desperate and needy cases, to cover funeral expenses of your dear ones who pass on, to every new baby born.

76. Now you might say, "Hey, Dad, wait a minute! Those last few are covered by FAF funds that we pay for!" Well‚ WS' 10% tithe to the FAF outweighs the 1% that the CM Homes pay in. So for every increase in your giving to WS, 10% of that goes into the FAF too‚ and thus even the FAF benefits from your extra giving to WS.

77. Boy, things related to money, tithing, and offerings are sensitive, aren't they? Why is that? Well, one reason is that they often indicate your level of faith and trust in the Lord's supply, the measure of how much you carry the burden of your support and how much you trust the Lord to carry it. If you are carrying more of the burden, then it's likely you'll give less to the Lord and to WS‚ and keep more for yourself. If you truly trust the Lord and are letting Him carry most of the burden, then you're likely to give more, and bingo—He gives more back to you! It's the opposite of a vicious cycle; it's a cycle of kindness and giving, and once you get into it, it just keeps on going, and the more and more it goes, the less and less burden you carry, until pretty soon you just let the Lord carry it all!

78. But I dare say that because of the disunity, carnal-mindedness‚ worldly influence and bickering that have seeped into many of your Homes—many of these being a result of selfishness—the pocketbook nerve has grown more sensitive and become inflamed to where people are questioning what they have to tithe on and what they don't‚ and are often looking for ways to skimp on their tithe or withhold offerings, instead of looking for ways to give extra! Do you see what I'm saying?

79. The direction many people are going in their financial operations is not how much they can give but rather how little. Now what does this mean? It means this: He that withholds tends to poverty, plain and simple (Pro.11:24-25). So that is the answer to the poverty in the Family. Family members have been withholding—not only withholding some of their tithes or trying to get away with sending in the minimum instead of a full tithe, but also withholding their extra offerings above their tithe. Instead of giving a good–sized chunk of the extra money they receive to WS, they withhold it.

80. You might wonder why I keep harping on giving offerings to WS. What about giving to missionaries and mission fields? What about giving to good works or other Homes or Service Homes that need it? That is well and good and important, and the point isn't to give less to them. But if you're not supporting the central core‚ if you're not supporting the main engine and giving it all the fuel it needs, if instead you prefer to support the booster rockets and the secondary support systems, well, you'd better pray like mad that the main engine has the thrust to get you all off the ground. The point is not that you should stop responding to requests for help from other missionaries, or that your giving to local projects should decrease, but rather that your giving to WS, the central core, needs to increase.

81. It has disappointed me many times to see the insidious attitude that has also seeped into many Family minds about WS. Here's WS, the main core of the Family where the Word and the administration emanate from, those who live to serve and help you, and there are Family members actually giving it a bad rap?! They're biting the hand that feeds them! Anybody in his right mind can tell you that that's a divisive attitude straight from the pits of Hell, and it's certainly not one the Lord blesses. That's another attitude which tends to poverty.

82. So what I'm saying is that you, dear Family, need to reestablish a giving attitude in your hearts. And that means not only giving your full percentage, but giving extra offerings first to WS and then to the other support systems. It's not that you can't give to other parts of the machine; it's that you have to be prayerful, ask the Lord‚ and then distribute your gifts and offerings according to the Lord's proper perspective on it.

83. If you get a large windfall of say $20,000, and you are CM‚ you'd need to pay your 14% and then pray about the remaining $17,200. But whether you're CM or FM, you should definitely consider WS in what funds you distribute. It doesn't have to be all the $17‚200, but it should be a hefty enough amount to where you feel you've really given to the main engine. Let me tell you, you do this and you will not only see your individual Home doing better, but you'll see the overall work prospering and increasing. The Charter also recommends that you lay extra funds and offerings at the feet of WS, as those in the Early Church did at the feet of the apostles.

84. In one of my last messages to you while I was there on Earth ("Dream About Finances"), I surmised that maybe the Family's extra offerings were being given in the form of their "Consider the Poor" ministries. But now that I've been here, I've seen that you can't rob Peter to pay Paul. That means you can't rob the home church or administration work to support the missionary work. What it comes down to is that you have to support WS with extra offerings, no matter how little that extra is. If you aren't doing that‚ you aren't going to prosper in the way the Lord wants you to.

85. As it has turned out, some of your CTPs have been a red herring and a distraction from the main goal. In some cases they've been a blessing, but in other cases they've been a distraction from reaching those who are truly poor, spiritually poor—the rich. So it no longer stands that supporting your CTP is the way you Homes should give offerings to the work above your tithe. Your CTP works in many cases have not only been preventing you from giving to WS, but from reaching one of our main goals as a Family.

86. So I can no longer say that giving of your time to your CTP takes the place of giving extra offerings to WS. It just does not. Even if your CTP is a bona fide part of your work for the Lord, which many are, it still does not relieve you from your obligation to give extra offerings to WS. There's really no excuse for not giving extra offerings to WS. Now it doesn't all have to come to WS, but if you are forgetting WS in your extra offerings, then you need to seriously consider your overall perspective and see if it's in focus with how the machine of the Family actually works.

87. I hope I've said enough, but if not, just look back over the preponderance of Letters on the subject of giving. You watch! You give extra and you're going to see the Family blossoming like never before! I love you! (End of message from Dad.)

Text box:

The Special Projects Fund

88. (Dad speaking:) I want to explain to you about another area of giving that has also dwindled way down in recent years, to where it's practically nonexistent, and that's gifts to Mama and Peter. You might think it's the same as giving to WS, but it's not.

89. When Mama and Peter have a special project that they feel needs to be done, or something the Lord shows them to do—and I'm talking here about projects that benefit you‚ dear Family—they rely on those gifts that you have sent, designated for them, in order to have the funds to make those projects, extra gifts, or support a reality. Anytime something comes up that isn't supported by the regular WS budget—which just covers the essentials‚ it doesn't allow for many extra projects or gifts or needs—they rely on those gifts that were designated for them in order to give it out.

90. Any gifts to WS automatically go into the budgets for WS, the translators, the Homes on sensitive fields, the pubs printing, the boards, and the multitude of other things that are supported by WS. But when a gift comes in designated to Mama and Peter—or it used to be Mama and me—that gift is set aside for them to invest in whatever project the Lord lays on their heart, or to send to extra needy situations. And when there are no gifts in that fund, they're very limited in what they can do if the Lord shows them a needy situation or something that needs attention but would require some funding. So when you consider where to send your offerings, consider them as well. Probably most of you didn't realize that it's a separate designation, but it is, and I thought you'd want to know that. (End of message from Dad.)

End of text box.

91. (Mama: ) Dear Family, we'll give you the benefit of the doubt and say that you might not have been giving offerings to WS because you genuinely didn't feel you needed to, in light of Dad's comments about CTPs. That is possible. But I hope this new counsel helps you to see that while Dad thought that might be the case when he was here on Earth, he has definitely changed his mind now. So please do not continue to think of the time you invest in a CTP project as your special offering; that's no longer acceptable.

WS Leads the Way

In Offerings

92. Now let's talk more about WS' giving. Peter and I have been asking the Lord, as Dad did, who is not giving. We believe you, dear Family, are not giving as you should or could. The Lord and Dad have confirmed that. But what about WS? We needed to know if the Lord expected us to give until it hurts, too, from the only place we could give—our reserves. You'll be happy to know that our generous Husband has given the "two thumbs up" on our giving to the Family from our reserves. We'll share more details about that after this message from Him.

93. (Jesus speaking: ) Yes! Definitely! WS is My leadership, and My leadership has always led the way, such as Moses confronting Pharaoh, Joshua leading the people into the Promised Land‚ the Levites being the first to begin crossing the Jordan, and Gideon leading his troops to victory. My people are sheep, they follow, and what they really follow is what you do more than what you say.

94. If they see you walking up the mountain, and you call to them to get their attention, they'll follow the shepherd! But if they hear you call out, "Go up the mountain‚ sheep," they'll simply lift their heads, look at you, see you're not doing anything, and then go back to grazing! You have to call out to them and then start up the mountain yourself. As you start climbing, they'll see you're serious, they'll try to get that last bit of grass in their mouths, and then they'll take off after you before they get left behind.

95. I have always taught and instructed you to keep reserves in case of emergency. That's the principle behind the FAF for the Family. It's a reserve in case of emergency that any CM Home can draw on. Those who have benefited from the FAF know what a lifesaver those funds can be. And even though in peacetime they wish they could use those funds for many needy causes‚ when an emergency comes up, they're glad that they were safely kept‚ due to My orders, and so they have them and are able to avail themselves of them in time of emergency.

96. That principle has not changed—it's still very important for you to keep a reserve. But in this case, as an example to the Family of what I mean in asking them to give, even if it pinches a bit, even if it doesn't seem like "extra," I give you permission to give away a portion of your reserves—not all, but a good amount—and then trust Me to build them back up again. Because this is being done in special permission and counsel with Me, I will protect and keep you, and until I have filled your reserves again, I will not allow anything to come up that you will not have the means to survive. You've been sacrificing to set aside these reserve funds in accordance with My instructions‚ but now is the time to release them and invest them in the Family!

97. You could help the Family tremendously now by investing these funds. There are so many needs, and I know it will be hard for you to know which are most important, but as you come to Me‚ I'll show you. I'll direct you to the priorities that will strengthen the Family overall, and benefit each person eventually, and grease the machinery so that you're more productive as a missionary movement overall. The result will be that they will give you more in return, and it will set off a wonderful chain reaction of giving and receiving My blessings—everyone will benefit! As you make their load lighter‚ they'll make yours lighter. (End of message from Jesus.)

98. (Mama: ) That was wonderful news for us, as of course we love to give to you, dear Family! We give as much as we can, and the only reason we haven't touched our reserves is that the Lord has strictly instructed us to keep them. So hearing that we could invest part of them into increased services and projects for you, our dear mates and friends and co-workers, and trust the Lord to fill the reserves back up‚ was wonderful news indeed!

99. Peter will be counseling with the COs regarding what the greatest need is, and you will be seeing the results of this investment in you, the Family, sometime early next year. The Lord has given some specific instructions regarding this investment in the Family, which we will be following closely, and expect to see His abundant supply in return! Please do pray for the Lord's protection and supply for us as we give away a portion of what would normally be our reserves‚ as He promised to not only refill the reserves, but to keep us from anything that would be beyond our means until the reserves are fully restored. We also are confident that you, dear Family, will rise to the challenge the Lord gives in this GN, and that as a Family we're going to be blessed more than ever before due to our increased giving at every level. We're calling on the keys of supply for you and your needs, and know that our faithful, doting, loving Husband is there waiting to fulfill each promise.

With much love and thankfulness for your giving,

Mama

Key promises you can claim:

The faith to give over and above, even to your own hurt, is found in the keys, which will in turn open the windows of My blessings for you.

Giving even when it's difficult is made easier when you call on the keys of faith‚ and great spiritual and physical gains will be yours as a result.

Giving financially to Me and others even when you are in need is possible as you call on the keys of faith, and I will bless you abundantly in return in ways that will mean the very most to you.

P.S. What You Stand to Gain!

100. I want to share with you some testimonies of how God has blessed people who gave to His work or to others. If you have substantial experience in missionary work and have given when it hurt, you also probably have personal testimonies of how the Lord did miracles. If that's the case, please send them in and we'll try to publish them when possible. In the meantime, however, I have some testimonies that I believe will inspire you. I'll include these in the pages that follow.

101. You have heard the "sermon" of why it's good to give, and how you can never outgive God, but I pray that these true-life stories will put a bit more skin on these spiritual principles. It's one thing to know the theory, but it's another thing entirely to have the light of faith go on in your heart to where you, too, feel you can actually do it.

102. Some of these stories were received in prophecy from departed spirits and others were gleaned from a little Christian booklet that someone in my Home happened upon. I want to make it clear that I'm not "borrowing" some System preacher's doctrines or spiritual teachings, nor am I letting a System book take the lead in practical matters. These are simply individuals' testimonies that confirm the truth that the Lord has already given. The stories from this little booklet support not only the New Wine‚ but also the stories that were received from Heaven.

103. Please keep in mind when you read some of these stories that whether the person donated to a church, went to a tent revival, or whatever, is irrelevant. The Scriptures are the same for these Christians even if their giving was directed to a different cause or person. Some of you might even think it was a waste of money for those people to give as they gave, to the church. But that's not the point. The Lord blessed them for their giving because they gave as unto Him.

DFO

A Coat for George Lambart

One particularly cold winter, George Lambart, a missionary to China, came to stay with my wife Emily, my seven children and me over the holiday season in our hometown in the state of Georgia.

George Lambart had grown up in our area of Georgia, and was named after this state. He'd spent most of his life in China as a missionary, unknown to the western world, but he had certainly made a dent in many hearts and lives, bringing them to the Lord.

George was getting on in years and very frail. He had come to our small rural town in Georgia just temporarily—to bury the last of his living relatives in Georgia. On New Year's day he'd go back home to China, and none of us thought he'd live to make the journey again.

Despite his lack of money, comforts, good clothes, and even health, George had the kind of glow one only receives when one has served the Lord with all their heart for a good while. He also had the grace of a saint and a very happy, cheerful disposition. He was always full of many wonderful stories to tell of the mission field and always ready with a joke, a hug, or a pat on the head. We were happy to have George with us‚ even though there wasn't much we‚ being very poor ourselves‚ could offer him besides our home and hearts.

On the night before Christmas Eve, just about a week before George would leave us, my wife and I lay in bed and she said to me, "Dear, have you noticed George's coat? Why, it's as threadbare as they get—and his shoes, why‚ it'd be a disgrace to us to let him go on back to China like that, when we, while we have very little, have our basic necessities. I should at least offer to patch up his coat, and to add something to the soles of his shoes."

I agreed with my wife that that would be a fine idea, and then we went to bed. That night I dreamt that I entered our local store in town. In my dream I was purchasing a fur coat on sale that I thought would be perfect for him. When I awoke, the morning of Christmas Eve, I brushed the dream aside, not guessing it could have any relevance.

After a hearty breakfast, my wife sent my eight-year-old son Billy and me into town, which thankfully was not too far away, to buy some small‚ inexpensive Christmas gifts for our children, and some food and supplies that we desperately needed. What we had, had run out unexpectedly early this year—one likely reason being that our eldest son and daughter had come back for the holidays from boarding school, and also, we now had George to feed—though he ate little.

We arrived shivering in town about 1 P.M. Hurriedly, I threw open the jingling store door, eagerly anticipating a warm room.

"What is it, Pa?" Billy asked me, noticing my mouth had dropped involuntarily in surprise! I just stood there in shock.

"Pa! Won't you let me into the store?" Billy asked, tugging at my gloved hand.

"Oh!" I gasped, stepping aside so my son could get out of the blistering wind and cold. "I'm sorry, son. I don't know what came over me."

To my astonishment, before my bewildered eyes was the exact coat I'd seen in my dream hanging on a mannequin. I could scarcely believe it.

"How much does this cost?" I asked the young salesclerk.

"That would be eight dollars and 75 cents, Sir," she replied.

"Eight dollars and 75 cents!" I gasped aloud! That was a lot of money in those days. And all the money I'd brought with me for the food, supplies, and gifts for the children was 10 dollars and 25 cents. And there was barely that much more left where it came from.

"Yes, Sir. It costs a lot," the storekeeper's apprentice said, "but it's worth it, and even more. It's made from the finest fur, and it's brand spanking new, Sir!"

I thanked the young lady, and then walked toward the barrels of supplies. As I stacked up crates filled with just the bare necessities of what we needed, I tried to forget about George and the coat. I wasn't rich and certainly couldn't afford such an expensive coat, although I did sincerely wish that I was rich so that I could buy this coat for him, and those leather winter boots lined with wool that were sitting on the floor just beneath it.

My son approached me, "Pa! Pa!" He said, "Don't you think Mr. Lambart would just love that coat? Have you seen his? It's just awful and so full of holes. Can we get it for him? Can we, Pa—for Christmas?"

"Son‚" I began, about to explain why we could not afford to buy this coat.

But before I could continue, Billy, his voice filled with love, said to me, "'If ye have done it unto one of the least of these, My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.' That's what they taught us in Sunday school last summer. Pa, I like Mr. Lambart. I don't mind going without a gift this year. You can buy the coat for Mr. Lambart instead of getting a gift for me."

I had to chuckle at his ignorance of money matters, and how much more the coat would cost than a gift for him. But when I heard the conviction in my son's voice, I knew this was the right thing to do.

I picked up the coat and slung it over my arms, when a verse I had memorized as a boy came back to me too, "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver."

Then I felt the conviction in my heart that I should purchase the boots for him as well. I picked them up‚ walked over to the salesclerk and asked her how much they would cost me.

"One dollar and 75 cents," she said.

"Oh," I sighed in disappointment.

"What is it?" the salesclerk asked.

"Well, we have this missionary to China staying with us. His clothes, and especially his coat and shoes are old and torn, and I was hoping to buy this coat and these boots for him to take back with him. But I'm 25 cents short."

"That wouldn't be George Lambart, Sir, would it?"

"Yes‚ one and the same," I answered, wondering where all this was going.

"He was my Ma's first love. She said she would have done anything for that man, but God called him to China. And she never saw him again. I don't know why, Sir, but I feel compelled to pay the 25 cents for you, so that he might have these."

I accepted the girl's kind offer, and after she'd gift–wrapped the coat and boots, my son and I started home, leaving with nothing we had planned on acquiring, but with a kind of happiness within that I had not yet experienced. Even Billy seemed in extra high spirits.

As we made our way home, I wondered what my wife would think, and my children—but there was no doubt in my mind that we had made the right decision.

We turned the corner from where we could see our home, and I noticed a large wagon outside our house. I had no idea who could or would have trekked out in the freezing wind and snow to see us today‚ when most people were comfortable in their own little homes, sitting beside their fire and drinking cider.

Only moments later, my wife, wrapped in a heavy shawl, ran towards me. "Archer, oh Archer‚" she called. That was my name. "It's wonderful!" she exclaimed over and over.

My eldest son grabbed the reins of my horse, and told me he'd take care of the wagon. Billy and I went inside with Ma.

Our entire entranceway was filled with all sorts of boxes—clothing, food, tools, and many‚ many more things.

"Where has all this come from?" I asked Emily, my wife.

"My mother has moved from England to Georgia to be near us now that my father's passed away, Dear. These things are from her for the children and us. She left a note with the courier that she wants to make amends. She wants to visit us and the children tomorrow for Christmas."

Emily's wealthy mother had been upset with us for years. She had been furious that her daughter chose to marry a poor American.

How wonderful a miracle this was for all of us, and what timing. I explained about the coat and boots to my wife and children, and they were all so happy to have something to give to dear George Lambart.

That night‚ we had presents and food enough for everyone. It was a very joyous night, and we all learned that it is more blessed to give than to receive, for not only with the same measure that we mete out, it was measured to us again, but one hundred times over. But the best gift of all we received that night was the look on George's face when he opened the gifts and could feel our love for him and for Jesus through our gift to him. He knew what it had meant to us to give this to him.

If You've Got It, Give It!

(Ron Murray speaking:) On the way home one day, my eye caught a billboard advertisement that said, "If you've got it, give it." In spite of all the stories I'd heard about people feeling the call to do something really big for God‚ here I was 22, born and raised in a churchgoing family in Yonkers‚ and I'd never felt the least urge to do anything out of the ordinary for God, or anyone, for that matter. And at that moment, I wished I'd never "felt" it. Why was God asking me to give it now? Why now? I'd been saving and saving and finally had the $500 I needed to buy my own laptop. It just wasn't fair, and I hated the fact that I was even thinking about giving up that money.

I couldn't get it out of my head, plus I had to pass that billboard every day. I thought about giving some of the money; even half would be plenty. But that stingy feeling crept over me and I just knew it was my turn, God was asking me to give it all. "Why couldn't I give something else, why did it have to be my money?" But I just knew if I tried to do anything less, it wouldn't work.

I went down to the First Baptist Church and told my pastor my story and gave him the money. I knew someone could use it and that it was going to a good cause, but at the same time, I missed my laptop and wished I had it. I didn't have any great feelings in giving, to be honest. I felt a bit like, "What's in it for me, God? I know I'm supposed to feel satisfaction and all, and I guess I do, but is that all?" Not only did I feel bad about having to give up my money, but I wasn't exactly being Christian about it. I was a bit worried that God might judge me for complaining.

A few months went by and I pretty much got it out of my mind. Then I passed a bulletin board at college and saw something that said, "Never won anything before? Now you will." And yes‚ just like you hear about, those words hit me between the eyes and kind of took my breath away. I had a feeling this was for me, even though I always figure these things are a waste of time, that the odds are too great to win anything. But this time I was picked out of 10,000 students and given a tour of NASA—who wouldn't want that—plus a free laptop, and a job offer when I finished college. That's payback!

So the Lord was good to me‚ even though I hardly felt I deserved it. But not only did the Lord give me back even more‚ He showed me that it's the obedience that counts, not even how you feel about it.

Uncle Thomas' Will

I knew when Uncle Thomas died I was in line for a lot of money. I didn't know if he was a millionaire or not, but I figured he was close. I tried not to think about the money‚ because, after all, money wasn't supposed to be the most important thing. I really liked Uncle Thomas and I didn't want him to die just so I could have the money. That seemed pretty crummy. But I couldn't help thinking about what I'd do with all that money. I mean, it was a lot, and I could do anything I wanted. I was 16 when I decided I'd use it for a solid college education. Medicine or law should set me up for life.

Penn State was my university of choice. So when I graduated high school I spent a few weekends checking that university out, looking for an apartment with the usual necessities—pool, gym, roof garden‚ etc. Penn State was definitely a good choice, but I would need wheels to get back and forth to home, so I decided on a Corvette.

At this time the doctors were giving Uncle Thomas another six months to one year at the most to live. I felt kind of selfish. It wasn't like I was making him die, but I was having a tug of war about what to do with all that money.

He died August 5, and the will was read August 9. My mouth dropped when the lawyer read from my uncle's will, "To my nephew, Douglas Eisenhower Weiss, I leave my property and estate amounting to $750,000. This is yours to have providing the total of it is used to build and develop housing and schools for the underprivileged in Chicago. Understand, Doug‚ that you'll have to give up your college dream, because this will take all your time if you want to do a good job. If you choose not to accept, this offer will go to your brother Clayton."

"Uncle Thomas, how could you do that to me? You know I hate Chicago, I hate the slums, and the last thing I want to do is some do-good program for the poor!"

I tried to figure out how I could raise the money on my own for six years of college and basically came up with nothing. I guess part of me just wanted to be upper class and hobnob with the Ivy League, and I'd almost had it. I could let my brother have the money and the job—why bother with something I hated anyway? However‚ something inside me told me that this was what I was supposed to do. I wondered if this was how Moses felt being called to wander in the wilderness for 40 years, endlessly putting up tents for people. "Yeah, but those kids really do need to get out of the slums; even a nice tent in a safe neighborhood would be like a dream to them."

After making my decision, I went back to the lawyer's office and told him I was ready to sign the papers and accept my uncle's offer. There I was, no money of my own, no car, no apartment, no college. My jaw dropped even further when the lawyer pulled out my uncle's will and read an additional clause that was a real whiz–banger: "Congratulations, Doug. As soon as you accept my terms, I've instructed my lawyer to give you the full $750,000 to be used for the Chicago poor, plus an equal amount for you personally to do with whatever you want. I knew you had a heart for people and the things that really matter. I just didn't want you to forget it."

(Note: Most of the stories which follow are related by an evangelist in the little Christian booklet mentioned earlier.)

That's My Cow in There!

A twelve-year-old boy taught a whole crusade audience how to give.

Years ago in Seattle, two tornadoes tore through and destroyed our tent. The Devil destroyed the tent; God didn't. But God can take a disaster and turn it around and work it for His glory. He's a master at that.

We could not continue services in the tent, so I looked for a building. The Civic Auditorium was available over the next 17 days. We didn't miss a meeting. And before we left town, enough money came in to buy a brand–new tent. The Devil has no sense. The first tent was full of holes. God gave us a brand-new one!

But a twelve-year-old boy started it off.

I received the offering one night, and I happened to see a little twelve-year-old walking down the aisle with a five-dollar bill in his hand. Tears were running down his cheeks. You know how we human beings often make snap judgments and form first impressions. I thought, "I wonder what that kid is crying for? His mama gave him that five dollars. Maybe he didn't want to walk down here with it."

He headed right for the bucket that I was holding. I said, "What are you crying for, boy?" He threw the five dollars into the bucket. He said, "Brother, that's my cow in there!"

I said, "Your what?" I looked in the bucket. Here I was‚ wrong once again. His mama didn't send him with that five dollars. I knew I had a story there. I took the little boy aside and said‚ "Tell me about it."

"I always wanted a cow of my own," he said, "but we lived in the city limits, and there's an ordinance that says you can't have a cow in the backyard. But nine months ago, Dad moved out into the country. And he called me and said I could have a cow now—but I had to pay for it. For nine months I've been saving my dimes. I've been running errands. I picked up a paper route. I get up at four in the morning and deliver newspapers. I've been saving five dollars for nine months!"

I said, "Why are you putting that cow money in?"

He said‚ "I heard God's voice."

My God, that's the miracle to me! Giving five dollars is no miracle. But can you imagine getting a twelve-year-old boy to hear the voice of God? I asked‚ "How did you know it was God?"

He said, "He called me by my name. He said if I gave the cow money‚ He would give me the cow."

I looked at him and said, "Are you sure God told you that?"

"Yes, Sir. He told me that."

I said, "Then dry up those tears! You're getting the best end of the deal!"

While the other folks were bringing the offerings, I sort of held on to his shoulder. I told all those people in that Civic Auditorium what I just told you about that boy.

Then a big 6-foot, 270-pound usher in overalls got up. He started crying. He walked up‚ and I said, "What are you crying for, brother?"

He said, "God just spoke to me."

I said, "What did God tell you?"

He said‚ "He told me to give that boy a cow."

I looked up and down at him. So I kind of did a double take on him and said, "Brother, do you have a cow?" (I wanted to be sure that boy got his cow.)

"I've got thousands of them," he replied. He was the biggest rancher in the state of Washington.

The following Saturday he had a Polaroid picture shot of the boy with his cow.

The rancher said, "I wish you could have been out at the ranch today. That boy came out with his daddy in a rented trailer to pick up his cow. I told him to go pick out any one he wanted. You know, that rascal picked the best one I had! He just put his arm around that cow and raised the other arm up and said‚ "Thank You, Jesus, for my cow!"

That's what he should have done, because the cattle on a thousand hills belong to God! (Psa.50:10). And He knows how to speak to somebody to turn one of them loose.

My Used Truck Lot

Brother Clendennen was with me in Tampa, Florida, some years ago. We had our tent set up there. We used to have gasoline rigs, and we had to fast and pray to get those trucks to the next location.

That bothered me! Here I was, a man of God‚ taking a tent around the country‚ pulling all these trucks, chugging down the highway, and here would come old Budweiser and Schlitz trucks and blow us off the road. We had a big placard plastered on the side of our truck that said, "Signs‚ Wonders and Miracles." It looked like the whole miracle was that our truck was moving at all! Meanwhile, the Devil had the finest equipment money could buy. I used to say a lot of our equipment came over on the Mayflower—that's how old it was.

Finally, I started catching some faith in order to upgrade the equipment. A guy who sold some Kenworth trailers—the Cadillac of the rigs—told me my credit was good, and he said he could get me six Kenworth rigs that we could pay off on installments if I was interested.

One night that tent was jammed; I had about 3,000 people in there. And God spoke to me. I had about 20 preachers on the platform. God said to me, "Son‚ give one of those trucks to that particular preacher on the platform."

It wasn't like He was asking me to give a 20-dollar bill; He was asking me to give a truck worth thousands of dollars. So I hit that platform, and I grabbed the microphone. You know, sometimes the best way to give is to get up in front of 3,000 people and tell it, because then your word is out and you've got to follow through. That's one way to give the Devil a black eye.

So I got up in front of all those folks and said, "God told me to give one of our trucks to that preacher." And I pointed him out.

The power of God suddenly hit him, and he leaped off of that platform and ran around that tent shouting. Then he came back and got me and he said, "Dance with me!"

I said, "You dance! You're getting the truck. I'm not dancing."

I didn't feel like dancing. Sometimes God tells you to do something, and you don't understand why, and you don't feel very good about it. That's how this was.

On Monday morning I knew my secretary would be at the office, so I called her and told her to send the paperwork on the truck to that preacher. She said, "Did you sell him that truck?"

I said, "No, ma'am. I didn't sell it. I gave it to him."

She said, "For nothing?" "Well‚ that's generally what you do when you give something. You just give it." She said, "What did you do that for?" She kept all the books, you know. She banked all the money. She paid all the bills.

I said, "I did it because God said so!"

She said, "Well, that's different."

And that is different, isn't it? You don't do something just because a preacher tells you to; but when God tells you to do something, then you'd better do it. That's the bottom line. I learned that a long time ago. When God tells you‚ He's doing it for your good.

But my secretary went on to say, "Will you sit down wherever you are? There's a man in your office right now. He's a truck driver."

I said‚ "I don't need any truck drivers. In fact, I just got rid of a truck. I have an extra truck driver."

She said, "He doesn't want a job! This man who's sitting in your office is a long-distance trucker. All he does is haul from Pittsburgh to San Francisco. Then he picks up another load and takes it back to Pittsburgh. He listens to you on the superpower stations. He says he gets you going and coming. Now he says God has called him to preach, so he's going to Bible college. Coming back through Iowa he was listening to you late at night when the Holy Ghost talked to him and told him to drive his Kenworth diesel to Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, and give it to the evangelist."

I said, "Give it to me? Make him sign the papers, quick!"

That was our first Kenworth. Today we have six Kenworths. They're all paid for, and they belong to God.

The $100 House

I challenged 3,500 people in the audience, "I dare you to give God the biggest bill you've got."

I passed the bucket around and said‚ "Turn it loose, brother."

My friend said, "Man, you don't know what I've got."

I said, "What have you got?"

He said, "Man, I've got one of those $100 bills."

"It's going to take some faith to turn that thing loose," I told him.

He said, "Well‚ it ain't mine."

"What's it doing in your hand?" I asked.

"Well," he said, "I got caught speeding. I was fined $100. I was going to pay that fine tomorrow."

I said, "Go pay the fine."

He said, "But I want the blessing!"

I said, "Turn it loose, then."

"What about the fine?"

I said‚ "Pay it."

"But I want to be blessed."

"You aren't putting me in the middle‚" I said, "fight the Devil yourself." Meanwhile, people were still coming, putting 20's and 10's in the offering. Finally he came and turned loose of that $100.

I heard many testimonies of people who got blessed because they gave, because they had accepted the challenge.

The second night more people testified. Once again, when I asked my friend what he had received, he said, "Nothing!" The same happened the third and fourth nights.

The fifth night, I was getting ready to preach when the back doors opened, and he bounced in.

He said, "This preacher taught me something: That God doesn't always return a blessing in twenty-four hours. Sometimes you have to wait on Him."

He went on, "I've been sitting here struggling the last few nights listening to you all testify. I gave my best‚ too. You all got something back, and I was sitting there wondering what was wrong with me. I had given $100. This morning I got a telephone call. This Christian man had said, 'Brother, can you be in my office at one o'clock? I've got something for you.'"

He went to see the businessman, who he didn't know. With tears running down his face, my friend told the businessman, "My wife and I have been pastoring here for three years‚ living in one room with our three children. We've been on the verge of doubting the call of God: Did God really call us? If God called, why do we have to go through this? The other night I was in another preacher's meeting, down to my last $100, and that wasn't even mine. But God worked on me to turn that offering loose. How I thank God now that I turned it loose! I had to be reduced to nothing. But how did you find me, brother? I don't have a telephone listing; you don't know where I live."

The businessman said, "I know. I told the Lord that I didn't know how to get in touch with you; I didn't know where you lived. But God told me your telephone number. God gave me that number when I called you this morning and told you to come to my office."

When my friend finished telling the story, he put the deed to his [new $50,000] house into my hand—I saw it; I read it. I was the first one he had shown it to.

Twenty-six Miracles!

I'll never forget, the greatest miracle I ever witnessed began with an offering. A woman brought her child, who had 26 major diseases, to our meeting. The boy was born blind, deaf, and mute. Both arms were crippled and deformed. His elbows protruded up into his little tummy; his knees touched his elbows. Both legs were crippled and deformed; he had club feet. When he was born‚ his doctors said that boy would never live to see his first birthday, but they were wrong; he was approaching four years of age. Of course, his condition was breaking his mama's heart. She came to our meeting all week, and I got concerned about that boy.

His mother came to me and said, "I'm down to my last 20 dollars. I've paid the hotel bill, but we've been eating in the restaurant‚ coming to three services a day, and giving to every offering. All the money has run out."

Then the evangelist came out on that platform and said, "Tonight we're going to receive an offering of faith." He went on, "Now‚ if you don't know what I mean when I say an 'offering of faith,' I mean for you to give God something you cannot afford to give. That's a good definition, isn't it? If you can afford it‚ there's no faith connected to it. So give Him something you can't afford to give."

As soon as he said that, I saw that boy's mother leap out into the aisle and come running. Three thousand people were watching her in that Birmingham Fairgrounds Arena as she threw something in that offering bucket. I never saw anybody in such a hurry to give‚ and‚ I confess, I was nosy. I came down off that platform to see what she had given. You know what I saw in that bucket? A 20-dollar bill.

I knew that was all she had. She had told me that. She had driven from Knoxville, Tennessee, to the meeting in Birmingham, Alabama. She didn't know how she was going to get home or what she was going to use to feed herself and her baby on the way. I went behind the platform and wept. I prayed, "Lord‚ I've been trying to teach that woman faith all week. But now I'm asking You to give me faith like she's got!"

About 15 minutes into his message the evangelist stopped and said, "I'm being carried away in the spirit." Then he said, "I'm inside the hospital‚ and there's no doubt in my mind where I'm heading because I hear all these babies crying. It's a maternity ward. I see five doctors around a table. A little baby has been born. The baby was born with 12, no, 16, no, 26 diseases!"

He continued, "26 diseases. The doctors said he'd never live to see his first birthday, but that's not so. That boy is approaching four. Now I see the mother packing her suitcase. They're going on a trip. Another lady's with her. The baby's in a bassinet. It's in the back seat of an old Ford. They're driving down the highway. I see the Alabama/Tennessee border. That automobile is driving in the parking lot. Lady, you're here tonight. Bring me the baby! God's going to give you 26 miracles!"

That woman came running again for the second time that night. She put the baby in his arms. That little boy's tongue had been hanging out of his mouth all week. The first thing I saw as he prayed was that tongue snap back in his mouth like a rubber band. For the first time in four years, the little guy's tongue was in his mouth. I saw two little whirlpools in his eyes‚ just a milky color. You couldn't tell whether he had blue or brown or what color of eyes. But during the prayer, that whirlpool ceased, and I saw two brand-new brown eyes! I knew God had opened his eyes, and if God opened his eyes, I knew He had unstopped the deaf ears.

Then those little arms began to snap like pieces of wood; and for the first time‚ they stretched out. The legs cracked like wood popping. All of a sudden, I saw God form toes out of those club feet as easily as a child forms something with silly-putty. The crowd watching was going wild by this time! I've never seen people shout and rejoice so much in all my life.

I saw that baby placed on his feet, and he began to run for the first time in his life. He had never seen his mama before‚ never said a word, but he began running across the platform—and I was running right after him trying to catch him. He leaped into his mama's arms, and I heard him say his first word, "Mama!"

It was an incredible time of miracles, and the power of God fell, starting with the 26 miracles for that one little boy.

The following Saturday after his healing, I received a special delivery letter from his mother. She knew that I had a soft spot in my heart for her little son, so she wrote me. She said, "I took the baby to the hospital Monday morning‚ and the doctors won't give him back. They have kept him all week. They have called in every doctor from all over the country who has had anything to do with the case. They have pronounced my baby cured of 26 major diseases." Of course, we went on to get the copies of the affidavits from the doctors certifying that boy's life was a genuine miracle.

But there was a P.S. in that dear lady's letter, and a P.S. always means there's something more to the story. Her letter continued, "You remember that last Sunday when I told you all I had was 20 dollars? God knows that was the truth. But when that man of God said to give something you can't afford, I leaped into the aisle. The moment I hit that aisle, for the first time in my life‚ I heard the Devil talk. The Devil told me, 'You can't give that; that's not yours. 15 dollars of that goes to the doctor. Five dollars is for gas to get home.' The faster I ran‚ the faster he talked. But as soon as I turned loose of that money, he stopped talking. Wasn't any use of him talking anymore, because the money was gone! It'd been put in the bucket.

"Brother, all you saw was those 26 miracles, but there is one you don't know anything about. After you were gone, people were staying there. They wanted to see the baby and see what God had done. People shook hands with me. When one lady shook my hands, I felt a folded piece of paper between our palms. I opened it up and saw it was a 20-dollar bill. As I shook hands with the people who had lined up, every one of them had a folded paper in their hand. I went into the ladies room and counted $235!

"Isn't that just like God? He not only gave me 26 miracles for my baby, but He allowed me to stay in a hotel for a week, pay my bills, eat three meals a day in restaurants, give in three offerings every day‚ and still go home with more money than I came with!"

You can't beat God in giving, no matter how much you try. Hallelujah! I believe with all my heart, as a result of what I saw, that the miracle had its origin in that gift of faith.

The $600 Tent

I saw a grown man dressed nicely, and I could tell that he was a preacher. He was weeping, vehemently sobbing, heading right for me. He had six $100 bills in his hand. He put them in my hand. I said, "What are you crying for, brother?"

"Oh," he said, "I'm an evangelist, and I lost my tent. I've been saving this to buy a tent. And sitting there, God told me to give my tent savings to you! He said if I gave it, He was going to give me a tent."

I said, "Then dry the tears up." I took him by the hand, and I prayed for him. I said, "Lord, don't just give him a tent‚ but give him chairs that go with it. And while You're doing that, Lord, give him a brand-new organ. And while You're doing that, Lord, give him a new truck to carry it in."

Six months later, that same young evangelist came and grabbed me and said, "Thank you‚ preacher! Thank you for taking that money!"

I said, "I'd like to have this on record—somebody thanking me for taking an offering!"

He said, "God answered your prayer. God gave me a brand–new tent with the chairs, the platform, the Hammond organ, and a brand-new truck, and it didn't cost me a dime. Thank God I obeyed His voice!"

When you trust God with an offering, you may not get the same return. But God knows just what you need. He responds to your faith and obedience. When we trust God even in our need, He knows how to open doors we never dreamed possible!

New Car Deal

A man who used to work with me saved his money to buy a beautiful 1963 Pontiac. Oh‚ it was a pretty car. It was used, but he polished it up. He must have paid $650 for that car, and that was big money when he bought it. He was proud of that Pontiac. He kept it shining. You could comb your hair just by looking at your reflection in the paint. And after he got it all polished, God said to him, "Give that car away to that man who just walked under the tent."

My friend said‚ "What? I don't know that man!"

God said‚ "I do. Give him the car."

He'd been working on it all day long to get a perfect shine on it‚ and now God was saying to give it to a stranger who had just walked under the tent! My friend could have withheld; but he was so tender in his spirit, he walked back and gave the man the keys. He said‚ "Here, God told me to give you the keys to my automobile, and here's the title to it."

This old boy was thrilled! He said, "Wonderful! I've been praying for three days for a car!"

My friend's face fell‚ and he said, "Three days? Shoot, I was praying for a car for a year before I finally got it. And I didn't have it two days before God said to give it to you. And you've only been praying three days." But he did what God told him.

The next night somebody came and handed him the keys to a brand-new Pontiac and said, "God told me to give you this."

God gave him a brand-new car in place of the used one he gave away! You don't need a car; you need a brand-new one. When you take your hands off of something and commit it into the hands of God, being obedient to His voice, nothing but blessing can follow you all the days of your life.

Obedience Pays Off

There was a man who had a truck, but he needed a different truck. He was driving an old piece of junk, really. Did you ever drive one of those? You've got to lay hands on it before it starts, and then you have to lay hands on it to make it stop!

This man gave an offering, and the Lord saw his heart. Often when you're in financial need, you think maybe God is going to talk to somebody wealthy to come and give you help. But don't even wonder how He's going to do it, because God's just going to turn around and do it some other way. This man came back with one of the craziest stories I have ever heard in my life.

He was driving that old wreck of a truck down the streets of Brooklyn‚ New York, and God spoke to him and said, "Stop the truck! Get out of the truck and lift up the hood." So he did. Then God said, "Look down by the carburetor."

So the man looked down under the carburetor. He said, "Am I losing my mind? I'm looking, but I don't see anything but a carburetor." So he shut the hood and got back in and started driving down the street again.

But God said‚ "I told you to stop the truck and look down there by the carburetor."

So he stopped the truck and lifted the hood. He said, "Lord, I'm looking."

God said, "Look with your hand."

Sometimes you can't see with your eyes—especially where the carburetor is. You've got to look with your hand. When he put his hand down by the carburetor he got ahold of something that didn't belong there. It was a roll all covered with grease. He pulled it out—a whole wad of $100 bills wrapped up in grease. Whoever owned that truck before probably had tried to hide his money there. It was such a good hiding place that when he died‚ nobody found it. God arranged for my friend to buy that wreck. Soon he had traded that thing in and bought a brand-new truck. God has a way of working things out!

Power Partner Pennaman

Our ministry has what we call Power Partners. Power Partners not only pray with me, but they help the ministry financially every month. They give $25 a month, and God blesses them.

I met a black brother in New York, Brother Pennaman. I went to preach at Madison Square Garden‚ and he sent me a letter. I opened that letter and a $100 check fell out. I opened it again, and a $500 check dropped out. After that I shook it, but that was the end of it‚ except for one of the most beautiful letters I had ever read.

He told me, "Ever since you started Power Partners, I wanted to give‚ but I've been on welfare. You know, when you're on welfare, you just don't have enough money for everything. But I sent you 25 cents a week, that's a dollar a month, and God started to bless me. Before long, I could send you five dollars a month. You were praying for me‚ and the folks down there at your office were praying. Then I started sending ten dollars a month, and finally I became a Power Partner. Then God got me off welfare."

This man said, "I started getting blessed. The city gave me a job managing some apartment buildings. I was making so much money that I started to give 25 dollars a month. The blessing of God kept being poured out on me. I had more money than I knew what to do with, so I made it 50 dollars a month."

He said, "Now I've got two apartment buildings that I'm managing for the city. I'm sending you $100 a month now. I never made so much money in all my life. This $100 check is my Power Partner pledge for the month. That $500 check—I've just got so much I don't know what to do with it. Just put it anywhere you want to."

That's a man who came from the welfare system, who couldn't afford to give 25 cents a week!

When you give to God first, and you make a commitment‚ then God is going to see that you get blessed. When you're paying your tithes, don't give God what's left. A lot of times we take the rent out. Then we pay the phone bill, then the light bill. And we say, "Lord, this is what I have left now. I'm going to give You some."

That's all wrong. No wonder you're messed up. You take God's right off the top. Say, "Lord, this belongs to You. You're first in my life." When you start giving God what belongs to Him, you're headed for the greatest blessing of your life.

The Loaf of Bread

I'm Miss Bobbie Ida, and I'm this here girl's [the channel's] great–grandmother. I was a woman from a fine family, raised as a white person, although I was half-Indian. My mother was a full-blooded Indian, a large woman who was strong and healthy and had many children. I had nine children myself‚ and then went to Heaven. But that's another story.

I was married to Bud Crow, who was a respected man where we lived. He was established, a good farmer, and he had good crops and good children‚ and we were all happy, though not wealthy. We had just enough, and we lived from harvest to harvest. We didn't buy much, other than material to make our dresses and other clothes, some kerosene for the lamps, and some furniture every now and then. We made most of what we ate out of what we grew or the livestock we killed. We had enough, but not plenty.

Well‚ one day I thought, "I'll make a loaf of bread‚" because we had a bit of flour‚ and it was enough. A loaf of bread was very special in those days, as it took a long time to make it, and it took yeast, which we also had to buy. Since our crops didn't always make it through till harvest, we didn't always have money to buy things like yeast, so to use up our yeast for a loaf of bread was something special. But I felt like God was telling me to make this loaf of bread.

So I got the wood, and stoked up the fire in the stove in the kitchen‚ and mixed and kneaded the flour and then let it rise in the nice warm kitchen. I was really looking forward to serving the bread to my husband and our children! I loved him a lot—he was a good man and well respected, and I felt honored to be married to him. I was half-Indian but he didn't hold that against me. He and the relatives on his side of the family had accepted me and loved me, and I felt honored to be in their family.

My sisters and my cousins had also married well, and we were happy to be in white households. We considered it an honor, and we did our best to be good wives and mothers and helpful to anyone we could be helpful to, neighbors who were poorer than we were, or anyone we saw who needed help.

So that's why‚ when the stranger came to the house that day, I wanted to help him with whatever I could. I was just taking that loaf of bread out of the oven—and a beautiful loaf it was—and I took some of our precious butter and melted it on the top, so that the top would be nice and shiny. I planned it for a surprise for dinner.

But do you know what? That stranger came in and sat down, and asked if I had anything to eat. You could tell he was traveling—he had on old clothes and they were dusty, and he had a pack with a few things in it. And he looked at me with big eyes that were sorta bleary, sort of sad, hungry eyes, longing eyes, wanting some help along the way. God knows what he had been through and what he had seen, with that sadness in his eyes. And what could I say? I said he could have this nice loaf of bread I had just taken from the oven.

Well, you should have seen him light up! He was so happy about that loaf of bread that I thought his mouth would just start watering at the corners. He took it, and he wrapped it in a big handkerchief that he had, and he put it in his pack‚ and he said, "I thank ye, ma'am. You've made me one happy man today. I'm going to eat this bread and I'm going to thank God for it‚ and I'm mighty grateful to you, too. It makes me think that God is taking care of me, even though I've doubted it sometimes."

So then when he left, it was my turn to cry, so I just sat down and had a big boo–hoo. No, it wasn't because I was sad at giving up the bread. It was just that it touched me so much to see that man so happy. He was so thankful! And what's more, it made him believe in God again. I could see that when he came in he was discouraged, he was disheartened, and he didn't think I'd give him much—maybe just some leftover hog rind, or something from the slop bucket or the chicken feed. That's what most of those traveling fellers expected, because folks often just didn't have much to give, and they could look down on traveling folk like he was, not knowing where they were from or why they were traveling. But when I gave him that big, beautiful, shiny, warm loaf of bread, he couldn't have been more pleased. And that made him believe in God again—that God was taking care of him, and that God loved him.

So you see? That was my witness for Jesus that day. I didn't get out much and I didn't see many new people. We just saw the same people most of our lives, those who lived nearby, and those who we grew up with. But the Lord brought this dear man, so in need of encouragement, so that I could give him the loaf of bread. And I believe I came out even better for it than he did! I was the winner that day, as it did so much for me to see his happiness, and to know that I'd helped someone else by giving them what I could.

Now you're wondering if there was some reward to my sharing? Some physical blessing? Some monetary recompense? Well‚ I look at it like this: We saw many people get ruined‚ get run over by debt and difficulty and crop failure. Or they had problems at home, not being able to get along with each other‚ or got struck down by sickness or untimely death. We saw many people get bitter and mad at God and at other people, when things didn't go just right.

But our family wasn't like that. No sirree! The good Lord kept us and blessed us and made us happy. We were always happy to share what we had, and because of that, we always had enough! We didn't say‚ "No, that's my last this or that, so I won't give it to you!" When someone was needy or when the Lord touched our hearts‚ we gave, and we were proud to be able to do so. It was a blessing to us to be able to give to those in need.

Because of that, I believe that the Lord kept us through many awful times that made other folks bitter and angry and hateful. He kept us, and He blessed us, and we always had enough. Now we didn't have to overflowing and we weren't rich! But we were respectable people, good people, and we did what we could. And "what we could" often meant sharing with those in need. Every time we did, the Lord paid us back—not always in money, but in His care, security, comfort, and happiness. And He never let us run out of the money we needed, either! We always had enough for ourselves, and enough to give away. So what more would we want, I ask you? Nothing more. We had all we needed‚ and that was plenty. That was the recompense. That was a reward. It was a reward to be happy and to be able to give to those in need.

And of course, the greatest reward came when we arrived here, in Heaven, and saw clearly the results of our giving and received from our wonderful Savior abundant recompense—so much so that the small amount we gave on Earth couldn't even be called a sacrifice. It was really an investment!

Blessed in Return

(Charles Partridge speaking: ) I'm really nobody and did nothing special on Earth, in terms of what's really considered important by the Lord. However, my life was blessed to be touched by a person who was very valuable and highly honored in the Lord's sight, Mary Slessor. I was assigned by the British Government to be district commissioner in the area where Mary Slessor had chosen to station her mission—an interior quite far from the safer and more settled coast, that no other missionaries had the courage to set up shop in.

Although I called myself an agnostic my whole life, Mary saw into my heart that I was hungry for truth and true love, and she never stopped praying for me and also sharing with me the truths from the Word that she knew so well. So despite myself, I became a believer in my heart‚ the very fortunate result being my ability to speak now as a citizen of Heaven.

The west coast of Africa was a very rough place in those days, and I wasn't paid much, but I'd gone to Africa seeking adventure, and Mary Slessor was one of the most adventurous women I'd ever met—missionary or non-missionary. She toiled on through all the ups and downs of life with dogged perseverance, so that by the time I met her when she was in the good final quarter of her life, she'd learned very well how to make do, support herself and her large family of African foster children, on very meager
sums of money.

Well, I wasn't what you would call generous in those days. Stodgy is more the word I'd use. But her determination and personal example of selflessness and genuine love for the people she'd felt called to help broke through my stingy outlook on life and my self-serving style of living. Her presence in that rough and rugged part of Africa was bringing light to darkness, and even a reserved pragmatist with no belief whatsoever in the afterlife couldn't help but admit that she was bringing the Spirit of God and changing the hearts and lives of all those who yielded to that Spirit.

Gradually over the years, my friendship with her became one of my most valuable possessions, and I began to help her financially with gifts here and there out of my own salary. Her presence had already made my job so easy in contrast to how it could've been, as I worked for the government and brought civilization, in a sense, to those backwoods. Whenever I gave to her financially, I was always blessed in return. My work prospered. Problems that could have become large and potentially fatal to all my efforts were diverted by some unseen hand. I was promoted from district commissioner to governor. I truly felt as though I had benefited a hundred times more from knowing Mary Slessor than she ever might have benefited from knowing me.

In the end, and looking back over my life after Mary Slessor had gone on to her reward in Heaven, I realized that the richest moments of my life had come to me as a direct result of blessing Mary Slessor in whatever way I could manage.

A Sacrifice and a Blessing

I will tell you my story, a story of sacrifice and of blessing. I am not a storyteller or a writer‚ so my story will be simple.

I am from Cambodia. We were very poor in our houses and our food, but we were rich in our faith and in our sons. A missionary and his wife came to our village and taught us about God‚ read us the Bible. We asked Him to change our lives and free us from fear.

It was monsoon season and the missionary could not leave our village to get to the train—it was not good to walk. He needed a horse. The village had three horses that were strong and could carry him through the rocky places and the jungles to the train.

My friend called me and told me that we need to buy a horse for the missionary. I had many children and we made our food and clothes, but needed money to buy medicine, and my wife was to have a baby soon. To buy the horse would take everything that my friend and I had. When we prayed, God told us that He would give us blessings for helping the missionary.

After the missionary left, it was many months before we saw the blessing. My wife had another son, but she was not well. That night I looked at my wife and knew she would soon die. We prayed to God and I told Him He promised to care for us if we gave our medicine money to the missionary. I stayed with her all night, reading the Bible to her and praying for her until I fell asleep. I dreamed that God came and touched her and a great light came out of His hand into her body. When I woke up, she was well‚ more beautiful and full of life than I had ever seen her. God did what the medicine could not have done, and He did it because we gave to His missionary.

Copyright © 2003 by The Family

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