Bring An Offering

Give to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come into His courts.

Psalm 96:8

In writing of her years in China, missionary Bertha Smith tells of a time when Dr. Wiley Glass, missionary educator, was kneeling during a prayer service at a large church. Mr. Wang, the church treasurer, was kneeling nearby. Suddenly Mr. Wang cried out, “Lord, have mercy on me! I’ve stolen! I’m a thief! I have stolen from God!” In astonishment, Dr. Glass thought, Not you, Brother Wang; surely not you! All these years you have been such a trustworthy, devoted deacon, faithful trustee of the seminary, and upright Christian gentleman. You just could not have taken money from the church treasury!

After a while, Brother Wang managed to explain, “I’ve not paid my tithe to the Lord! According to His Word, I’ve stolen it from Him!” The Chinese keep accurate records. Brother Wang calculated his tithe from the time he became a Christian, more than twenty years before, subtracted from it the total amount contributed to the church, and sold some land in order to pay what he felt he owed. From then on, he was aflame for Christ.

Do we love our Lord? How else can we express it except by giving? After all, God so loved us that He gave . . .