The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1957-11-22

Now love always RIB .:as
involves giving.
Selfish tight-fist-
cd love- is - -
contradiction. Ev- DIR. Foreman
erybody would agree to that. The
arguments or the misundcrstand-
ings begin at this point: What Is
giving?
Substitutes Tor Giving
There is really no substitute for
giving. but people do try to run
substitutes under that name. When
time comes for missionary offer
ing. in almost any church you can
hear some one sourly speaking:
Why should we give to people who
never give to us? Why must it all
go one Way?" As a matter Of fact.
missionary gifts don't all 90 one
way: but let that pass. The objec-
ton just quoted shows that the OBJ
lector doesn't want to give, all he
wants is exchange. But exchange
is not giving. Here we are nearly
at Christmas time. and all around
us are people who talk about
Christmas gifts" when what they
really mean is a Christmas cN-
change.
Another substitute something
like this is investment People
talk about dividends from the mis-
sion field. they like to feel that by
upping their contribution ten dol
lars they will get a dividend in the
shape of one more soul saved But
tho work the true work Of the
Christian church. is not like that
Of business. A railway can cut
of train that is not making mon
ey, but church has no right &c
cut down missionary salary be
cause he can't show as many cor
versions as the next missionary
down the river An old cripple who
can never be cured, IL lust as worthy
an object Of Christian giving as a
cripplod child who can be cured.
Frying II Loose
Parting with your money ism
giving ii. II you are being held up
and are relieved OF your wallet.
YOU don't take credit for being
generous with bandits. If you sill
down and write the government a
large check about the middle Of
next April, nobody can be fooled
into thinking you are giving the
United States anything; you are
merely paying your tax.i And may
be you wouldn't even do that if you
didn't know it was case of pay
or else - And yet people iil
the church will take credit for be
ing generous when they are only
parting with money they'd much
rather not part with This is not
10 say that the church ever robs
any one. But sometimes a church
will assess its members so much
member II will be known who
pays and who doesn't. so the man
pays; but he's really being held
up he is paying only because he
can't help it, What has to be pried
out Of a man is never gift
True Giving
Let all that you do be done in
love" Paul said. This holds for
giving as for anything else. In
! Corinthians IS Paul had already
said that if a man actually gave
away every single thing he owned.
even il he presented his own body
as sacrifice to be burned on a
great altar, but did this without
love. it would amount to nothing
at all The love Of which Paul
speaks is not natural thing, that
is to say, without the Spirit Of God
this love cannot exist. Ordinary
love is so different from this that
the New Testament uses a dit
ferent word for it.
There is an ocean of difference
between love that demands some
kind of return. some reward, some
dividend. and love that pours Itself
out without even asking for return.
Such love is rare sight, you say?
To be sure it is; and that is why
true Christian giving is SO rare.
This is not to say that a church
should run each Of its contributors
through third-degree examina-
tion-.What was your motive?"-
before it will accept cent. But
every church ought to be working
10 educate its people out of being
exchangers, investors. prestige
grabbers. quota-fillers, Lady Boun-
tifuls. into the joy Of giving from
pure Christ-like love.
BASED on outlines copyYigbted by the
Division. Of Christian Educ attor. Ma.
'tnuai Council Of the Churrhe. Of Chris,
IN tue Z. :. 4. Released b, Com m U unity
Press Segvicel