River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1909-03-18

therefore glorify God in your body and
in your spirit, which are Gods" q
Cor 6:19, 20) All we have also be-
longs to God. What hast thou that
thou didst not receiver" q Cor. AID
THE earth is the Lords and the full
ness thereof; the world and they that
dwell therein" psalms 24:1.) "The
silver is mine and the gold is mine,
saith the Lord of hosts" alag. 2:S)
God owns us and all we have by right
of creation, and he has never sur
rendered that right. In the most
ancient of all land records in the
world" says G. A. Cook, I'VE find this
entry: In the beginning God created
the heaven and the EARTH
The basal principle of Christian
stewardship is the fact that God is pro-
proprietor, owning us and all we have,
while we are stewards doing bust
ness with his capital. Moreover, it
is required in stewards that a man be
found faithful" He must do business
with the capital of his master accord
ing to the masters directions and
must make such returns to the master
as he may demand. The steward is
to have no will and way of his own
except as permitted by the master.
The Getting Hand.
The capacity to get. money is a gift
of God which should be cultivated and
used for him. "Thou shalt remember
the Lord thy God, for it is he that
giveth thee power to get wealth"
(Deut. 8:18) The wage-earner's
strength of body, skill of hand and
aIertness of mind are gifts of God.
The intelligence of the farmer, the
merchant the artist, the banker, the
writer and the speaker is the gift of
God. A godly business man prayed
daily: Lord, give me a hand to get,
and heart to give
There are four legitimate ways Of
getting money. Cd BY earning it. CD
BY buying and selling. 60 BY max
ing it work for you through wise in
vestments (4) By inducing others to
give for the benefit of any good cause
you may represent. These four
methods of getting money de-
fine the wage-earner, the mer-
chant, the capitalist and the agent,
all of whom, if Christians, are stew
ards using their capacity as capital for
Christ and his cause.
The Spending Hand.
Spending is also part of steward
ship. Some one has said: "Acquisi-
ton makes money. Distribution
makes the man. Distribution with
out acquisition dissipates money.
Acquisition without distribution dis
sipates the man." DR.. Cuyler says:
what young man earns in
the day goes into his pocket; what
he spends in the evening goes into
his character" Tell me how man
spends his money and l will tell you
his character. A faithful steward of
money entrusted to him by Christ will
be careful to consult the master as
to how he should spend it and thus
spending money becomes an act Of
worship as holy and joyful as prayer
and praise.
The Saving Hand.
Saving money is an important part
OIL stewardship. we uS0Q W lSdIA
this lesson, for Americans are great
spenders. Economy with view to do
ing good with the money we can save
is a grace to be coveted. We are COM
manded to lay by in store as God has
prospered us with a view to giving it
to the work of Christ as need may
arise, and we are commanded to lay
up treasures in heaven-which is
really one act, for laying by for Christ
is laying up in heaven, The money
we lay by for Christ and use wisely in
his services continues to work through
time and eternity.
Paying money is also part of stew
ardship. Some men who get money by
labor or investments are slow about
paying their debts, and a reputation
for dishonesty in failing to pay debts
is as bad as reputation for dishon-
esty in methods of getting money.
The world does not want the religion
of a man who will not pay his debts,
and it has Scriptural grounds for it,
because Jesus said: IF ye have not
been faithful in the unrighteous mann
mon, who will commit to your trust
the true riches?" duke 16:1D which
means that God himself does not en-
rich with his graces the man who is
in ho YIc0 Of rn0nnV