Faith's Checkbook

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Jan 9

January 9
Gaining by Giving
The liberal soul shall be made fat. (Proverbs 11:25)
If I desire to flourish in the soul, I must not hoard my stores but distribute them to the poor. To be close
and niggardly is the world's way to prosperity, but it is not God's way, for He saith, "There is that
scattereth, and yet increaseth, and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, and it tendeth to
poverty." Faith's way of gaining is giving. I must try this repeatedly, and I may expect that as
much of prosperity as will be good for me will carne to me as a gracious reward for a liberal course of
action.
Of course, I may not be sure of growing rich. I shall be fat but not too fat. Too great riches might make
me as unwieldy as corpulent persons usually are, cause me the dyspepsia of worldliness, and
perhaps bring on a fatty degeneration of the heart. No, if I am fat enough to be healthy, I may well be
satisfied; and if the Lord grants me competence, I may be thoroughly content.
But there is a mental and spiritual fatness that I would greatly covet, and this comes as the result of
generous thoughts toward my God, His church, and my fellow men. Let me not stint, lest I starve my
heart. Let me be bountiful and liberal, for so shall I be like my Lord. He gave Himself for me; shall I
grudge Him anything?