The Ward County independent., 1920-02-12

lOdlcal OF your own ChurCn you could
not invest so cents more wisely, per-
haps); attend every missionary meet
ing you possibly can, whether it is
that OF your own denomination or an
other and--if the pastor breaches q
rolsing missionary sermon, whether
it be of the needs Of foreign field
or the need existing right here in
Minot (and the heather are by no
means confined to Africa) let's give
1t intelligent consideration, and ask
ourselves what can we do? and not
listen only with one ear, the while
we are trying to figure out whether
the price Of butter is liable to go up
this week or down, and whether we
can squeeze out enough pennies from
the weeks allowance to take us to
the movies tomorro wright. So the
first thing is knowledge.
The second thing is prayer. Do you
believe in prayer? OF course you do.
Well, then, wonder why some of us
do not pray more often, and if we are
really Interested in missions, why do
we not more often remember the
Missionaries and the Mission Fields,
and the Mission Boards, and the Mis-
sionary Societies, in our prayers, in
stead of narrowing our petitions
down to include ''me and my folk"
of course we must remember our very
own--but let us also be instant in
prayer, in season and out of season
for these others who are our very
own also. For if we believe in the,
Iatherhood Of God, we must also be-
lieve in the brotherhood Of man-not
as high sounding phrases but as real
ities-and your beliefs are not sound
if they do not cause you to stretch out
your hand in kindness and help to
the maid in your kitchen, theGreek
who selsl you your paper, or the
Italian who peddles fruit. The eff
fectual fervent prayer of righteous
man availeth much.
Knowledge first, prayer second,
giving third. You know the good
Book says, Where your treasure is
there is your heart ALSO and if you
give to missions you will be interest
ed in missions. You remember the
story of the little boy who was anx-
icvs to go hear the Bishop and when
asked whyhe was SO interested an
swered, ""Well, the last time he was
here gave him five cents and | want
to hear what he did with it," But
we might turn that quotation from
the good Book around and it would
apply to US equally as well-"Where
your heart is there is your treasure
ALSO" for we give to the things that
hold our interest. If we are interest
ed in clubs we pay our club dues, and
sometimes they mount up rapidly-if
we are interested in lodges, we pay
our lodge dues and chip in for many
special causes. If we are interested
in the Red Cross, we pay our dues or
donate, showing that interest. If we
are interested in playing bridge we
pay our bridge dues and occasionally
buy prize to go to the lucky win
ner. If we are interested in dancing
we buy our tickets that we may take
us something, but we are interested,
what do we care? If we are inter
ested in Church and Sunday School
and Y. M. c. A. and Y. w. C. A.
work we cheerfully donate our bit to
help along the things worth while. If
we are Interested in Missions, having
acquired that interest by study and
intelligent listening to the gospel
message, and then have prayed
for missions, our natural desire will
be to give to missions. How much p
Well, that is not for me to say, any
more than it is for me, to say
whether you should pay 35c or 75c
fer the coffee you place on your
breakfast table. If you are at all
interested you will give what you can
not what you would like to give,
perhaps not what you would give if
you had lots of money, not what
others think you should give, but if
you are Interested tall you will
give what you can. You and God
know the condition of your finances
l don't. Much of it, is in our mental
attitude toward the whole matter of
giving. Iknew dear old blind lady
in New York City-one of the most
cheerful, sunny characters ever had
the privilege of knowing; one who
used to write me the dearest letters
~ some of the words running across
the others, but always carrying the
most optimistic messages lit was a
delight to hear from her. From other
friends Of hers | knew that her in
come was very small barely suffic-
lent for her needs in fact she spent
what she had to spend and then sim
ply went without. Very simple sys-
tenn of economics, wasn't it? Upon
hearing that Mother and lived upon
IA claim out in the Wild and Woody
West, and had all kinds of fun get
ting along with make shifts, because
the tar paper covered shack was only
ten by twelve, she invited us to her
-
than ours had been. She showed us
her makeshifts with great pride and
told US how she often made pie or
with which to run into a neighbor's
when she M knew that neighbor was iii
/ ~ naLn III s%o ~ .1Srhf