Article July 23, 1938 Issue

True Giving

KATHRYN SHARP

How joyous and helpful is the right desire to give! Giving opens the thought for receiving. Spontaneous giving is from the heart and is satisfying, because it is sharing. The inspiration to give out good comes from God. It is the outward expression of right desire. Jesus gave us the most precious and valuable of all gifts, the revelation of God as ever present, teaching us how to eliminate seeming discord.

Mortals have an erroneous concept of giving. Holding a false sense of giving, some desire to give in order to receive; some give to buy personal favor; others, to be known as givers—for self-aggrandizement, or for social prominence. However, if one gives spontaneously, from a purely spiritual desire and for the joy of reflecting God, a great blessing will always follow for all concerned.

The Bible sets forth a convincing portrayal of the nature and the result of true giving, in the narrative of Elijah, the prophet. "And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee." Elijah obeyed this admonition, "and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks."

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