Editorial March 9, 1974 Issue

Thrift and Prosperity

Naomi Price

One grain of corn, a penny, a few spare minutes, a constructive but as yet unneeded idea, one surplus gallon of oil—none of these may seem important. In times of plenty one might waste them without a thought. At other, leaner times these wasted assets may be remembered regretfully, and one may wish he had exercised more care to use them profitably.

The Bible teaches us to trust God to supply all our needs—such things as food, energy, or a theme for an editorial. It insists that everyone can have the conviction that David, the Psalmist, must have had when he sang. "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." ^{ Ps. 23:1;} But it also shows that we are never justified in wasting anything we have. Although we may feel sure that through God's bounty there will always be supply forthcoming to meet our needs, we are not relieved of the responsibility of managing our affairs economically and wisely.

The understanding of God's affluent giving that comes to us through the Christ may ease the feeling that we should be stingy in the use of our assets so that we may save them "for a rainy day," but it doesn't permit us to waste them. Some scriptural lessons show that supply comes hourly, but there are others that indicate that today's surplus should be thriftily stored to take care of tomorrow's needs.

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