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                                 Money:
                      Thoughts for God's Stewards




By Rev. Andrew Murray.


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                       Fleming H. Revell Company

                                            NEW YORK: 112 Fifth Ave.
                                            CHICAGO: 63 Washington St.
                                            TORONTO: 140 & 142 Yonge St.




                                 Money:
                      Thoughts for God's Stewards


                                   BY
                           Rev. Andrew Murray

                               AUTHOR OF

                   "With Christ," "Abide in Christ,"
                         "Waiting on God," etc.

                             [Illustration]

                        New York Chicago Toronto

                       Fleming H. Revell Company

                               MDCCCXCVII


                            Copyright, 1897
                                   BY
                       FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY




CONTENTS


                                      PAGE

      I. CHRIST'S ESTIMATE OF MONEY      7

     II. THE HOLY SPIRIT AND MONEY      24

    III. THE GRACE OF GOD AND MONEY     42

     IV. THE POVERTY OF CHRIST          63




[Illustration]




I

CHRIST'S ESTIMATE OF MONEY


     "Jesus beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many
     that were rich cast in much. And a certain poor widow came, and
     cast in a farthing. Jesus called His disciples, and saith unto
     them, This poor widow hath cast more in than all: for all they did
     cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all
     that she had, even all her living."--_Mark_ xii. 41.

In all our religion and our Bible study, it is of the greatest
consequence to find out what the mind of Christ is, to think as He
thought, and to feel just as He felt. There is not a question that
concerns us, not a single matter that ever comes before us, but we find
in the words of Christ something for our guidance and help. We want
to-day to get at the mind of Christ about Money; to know exactly what He
thought, and then to think and act just as He would do. This is not an
easy thing. We are so under the influence of the world around us, that
the fear of becoming utterly unpractical if we thought and acted just
like Christ, easily comes upon us. Let us not be afraid; if we really
desire to find out what is His mind, He will guide us to what He wants
us to think and do. Only be honest in the thought: I want to have Christ
teach me how to possess and how to use my money.

Look at Him for a moment sitting here over against the treasury,
watching the people putting in their gifts. Thinking about money in the
church, looking after the collection: we often connect that with Judas,
or some hard-worked deacon, or the treasurer or collector of some
society. But see here--Jesus sits and watches the collection. And as He
does it, He weighs each gift in the balance of God, and puts its value
on it. In heaven He does this still. Not a gift for any part of God's
work, great or small, but He notices it, and puts its value on it for
the blessing, if any, that it is to bring in time or eternity. And He is
willing, even here on earth in the waiting heart, to let us know what He
thinks of our giving. Giving money is a part of our religious life, is
watched over by Christ, and must be regulated by His word. Let us try
and discover what the scriptures have to teach us.


_1. Money giving a sure test of character._

In the world money is the standard of value. It is difficult to express
all that money means. It is the symbol of labor and enterprise and
cleverness. It is often the token of God's blessing on diligent effort.
It is the equivalent of all that it can procure of the service of mind
or body, of property or comfort or luxury, of influence and power. No
wonder that the world loves it, seeks it above everything, and often
worships it. No wonder that it is the standard of value not only for
material things, but for man himself, and that a man is too often valued
according to his money.

It is, however, not only thus in the kingdom of this world, but in the
kingdom of heaven too, that a man is judged by his money, and yet on a
different principle. The world asks, _what_ does a man own? Christ,
_how_ does he use it? The world thinks more about the money getting;
Christ about the money giving. And when a man gives, the world still
asks, _what_ does he give? Christ asks, how does he give? The world
looks at the money and its amount, Christ at the man and his motive. See
this in the story of the poor widow. Many that were rich cast in _much_;
but it was _out of their abundance;_ there was no real sacrifice in it;
their life was as full and comfortable as ever, it cost them nothing.
There was no special love or devotion to God in it; part of an easy and
traditional religion. The widow cast in _a farthing_. Out of her want
she cast in all that she had, even all her living. She gave all to God
without reserve, without holding back anything, she gave all.

How different our standard and Christ's. We ask how much a man _gives_.
Christ asks, how much he _keeps_. We look at the gift. Christ asks
whether the gift was a sacrifice. The widow kept nothing over, she gave
all; the gift won His heart and approval, for it was in the spirit of
His own self-sacrifice, who, being rich, became poor for our own sakes.
They--out of their abundance--cast in much: She, out of her want--all
that she had.

But if our Lord wanted us to do as she did, why did He not leave a clear
command? How gladly then would we do it. Ah! there you have it. You want
a command to make you do it: that would just be the spirit of the world
in the church looking at _what_ we give, at our giving all. And that is
just what Christ does not wish and will not have. He wants the generous
love that does it unbidden. He wants every gift to be a gift warm and
bright with love, a true free will offering. If you want the Master's
approval as the poor widow had it, remember one thing: you must put all
at His feet, hold all at His disposal. And that, as the spontaneous
expression of a love that, like Mary's, cannot help giving, just because
it loves.

All my money giving--what a test of character! Lord Jesus! Oh give me
grace to love Thee intently, that I may know how to give.


_2. Money giving a great means of grace._

Christ called His disciples to come and listen while He talked to them
about the giving He saw there. It was to guide their giving and ours.
Our giving, if we listen to Christ with the real desire to learn, will
have more influence on our growth in grace than we know.

The spirit of the world, "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye,
and the pride of life." Money is the great means the world has for
gratifying its desires. Christ has said of His people, "they are not of
the world, as I am not of the world." They are to show in their disposal
of money that they act on unworldly principle, that the spirit of heaven
teaches them how to use it. And what does that spirit suggest? Use it
for spiritual purposes, for what will last for eternity, for what is
pleasing to God. "They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh and
its lusts." One of the ways of manifesting and maintaining the
crucifixion of the flesh is never to use money to gratify it. And the
way to conquer every temptation to do so, is to have the heart filled
with large thoughts of the spiritual power of money. Would you learn to
keep the flesh crucified--refuse to spend a penny on its gratification.
As much as money spent on self, may nourish and strengthen and comfort
self, money sacrificed to God may help the soul in the victory that
overcometh the world and the flesh.

Our whole life of faith may be strengthened by the way we deal with
money. Many men have to be engaged continually in making money--by
nature the heart is dragged down and bound to earth in dealing with what
is the very life of the world. It is faith that can give a continual
victory over this temptation. Every thought of the danger of money,
every effort to resist it, every loving gift to God, helps our life of
faith. We look at things in the very light of God. We judge of them as
out of eternity, and the money passing through our hands and devoted to
God may be a daily education in faith and heavenly-mindedness.

Very specially may our money giving strengthen our life of love. Every
grace needs to be exercised if it is to grow; most of all is this true
of love. And--did we but know it--how our money might develop and
strengthen our love, as it called us to the careful and sympathizing
consideration of the needs of those around us. Every call for money, and
every response we give, might be the stirring of a new love, and the aid
to a fuller surrender to its blessed claims.

Money giving may be one of your choicest means of grace, a continuous
fellowship with God in the renewal of your surrender of your all to
Him, and in proof of the earnestness of your heart to walk before Him in
self-denial, and faith and love.


_3. Money giving a wonderful power for God._

What a wonderful religion Christianity is. It takes money, the very
embodiment of the power of sense of this world, with its self-interest,
its covetousness, and its pride, and it changes it into an instrument
for God's service and glory.

Think of the poor. What help and happiness is brought to tens of
thousands of helpless ones by the timely gift of a little money from the
hand of love. God has allowed the difference of rich and poor for this
very purpose--that just as in the interchange of buying and selling
mutual dependence upon each other is maintained among men--so in the
giving and receiving of charity there should be abundant scope for the
blessedness of doing and receiving good. He said, "It is more blessed to
give than to receive." What a Godlike privilege and blessedness to have
the power of relieving the needy and making glad the heart of the poor
by gold or silver! What a blessed religion that makes the money we give
away a source of greater pleasure than that which we spend on ourselves!
The latter is mostly spent on what is temporal and carnal, that spent in
the work of love has eternal value, and brings double happiness, to
ourselves and others.

Think of the church and its work in this world; of missions at home and
abroad, and the thousand agencies for winning men from sin to God and
Holiness. Is it indeed true that the coin of this world, by being cast
into God's treasury in the right spirit, can receive the stamp of the
mint of heaven, and be accepted in exchange for heavenly blessings? It
is true. The gifts of faith and love go not only into the Church's
treasury, but into God's own treasury, and are paid out again in
heavenly goods. And that not according to the earthly standard of value,
where the question always is, How much? but according to the standard of
heaven, where men's judgments of much and little, great and small, are
all unknown.

Christ has immortalized a poor widow's farthing. With His approval it
shines through the ages brighter than the brightest gold. It has been a
blessing to tens of thousands in the lesson it has taught. It tells you
that your farthing, if it be your all, that your gift, if it be honestly
given (as you all ought to give to the Lord), has His approval, His
stamp, His eternal blessing.

If we did but take more time in quiet thoughtfulness for the Holy Spirit
to show us our Lord Jesus in charge of the Heavenly Mint, stamping every
true gift, and then using it for the Kingdom, surely our money would
begin to shine with a new lustre. And we should begin to say--The less I
can spend on myself, and the more on my Lord, the richer I am. And we
shall see how, as the widow was richer in her gift and her grace than
the many rich, so he is richest who truly gives all he can.


_4. Money giving a continual help on the ladder to heaven._

You know how often our Lord Jesus spake of this in His parables. In that
of the unjust steward He said, Make friends of the Mammon of
unrighteousness, that they may receive you in the eternal habitations.
In the parable of the talents He said, "Thou oughtest to have put _my
money_." The man who had not used his talent, lost all. In the parable
of the sheep and the goats, it is they who have cared for the needy and
the wretched in His name, who shall hear the word--Come, ye blessed of
my Father.

We cannot purchase heaven--as little with money as with works. But in
your money giving, heavenly-mindedness and love to Christ, and love to
men, and devotion to God's work, are cultivated and proved. The "Come,
ye blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom," will take count of the
money truly spent on Christ and his work. Our money giving must prepare
us for heaven.

Oh! how many there are who if heaven and holiness could be bought for a
thousand pounds would give it. No money can buy those. But if they only
knew, money can wondrously help on the path of holiness and heaven.
Money given in the spirit of self-sacrifice, and love, and faith in Him
who has paid all, brings a rich and eternal reward. Day by day give as
God blesses and as He asks--it will help to bring heaven nearer to you,
it will help to bring _you_ nearer to heaven.

The Christ who sat over against the treasury is my Christ. He watches my
gifts. What is given in the spirit of whole-hearted devotion and love He
accepts. He teaches His disciples to judge as He judges. He will teach
me how to give--how much, how lovingly, how truthfully.

Money--this is what I want to learn from Him above all--money, the cause
of so much temptation and sin, and sorrow and eternal loss; money, as
it is received and administered and distributed at the feet of Jesus,
the Lord of the Treasury, becomes one of God's choicest channels of
grace to myself and to others. In this, too, we are more than conquerors
through Him who loved us.

Lord! give Thy Church, in her poverty, give us all, the spirit of the
poor widow.




[Illustration]




II

THE HOLY SPIRIT AND MONEY


When the Holy Spirit came down at Pentecost to dwell in men, He assumed
the charge and control of their whole life. They were to be or do
nothing that was not under His inspiration and leading. In everything
they were to move and live and have their being "in the Spirit," to be
wholly spiritual men. Hence it followed as a necessity that their
possessions and property, that their money and its appropriations were
subjected to His rule too, and that their income and