Little Is Much When God Is In It

 

Excerpt from Hy Pickering's 1,000 Acts and Facts as quoted in Treasury of Gospel Gems Volume IV by Theodore W. Engstrom, Zondervan Publishing House ca. 1946:

GIVE OF YOUR BEST

William Colgate, a name now world famous in connection with soap, left home because the family was so poor. He started for New York City and on the tow path an old canal boat captain asked him where he was going, and had a word of prayer with him. When they arose from their knees, the old captain said, "William, what can you do?" "Make tallow candles and soft soap," he replied. "Well," said the captain, "give your heart to God and ten cents out of every dollar you earn, and maybe God will make you a great soap maker some day." Young Colgate did this, and then increased to fifteen cents on a dollar and then to twenty-five and on up until he was giving half his income to God's work. Before he died, it is said, he gave his entire income to carry on God's work in the world. 'Give, and it shall be given unto you.' Luke 6:38

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    And again, in Matthew 25:29 we read this: 'For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.' Young Mr. Colgate took what he had been given and used it for God's glory. The more he earned the more he gave away. This is God's math. Our Wednesday night Bible Study touched on this subject.

     2 Corinthians 9:7 says we are to be happy about giving to God's work: 'Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not out of regret or compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver.' What appears to be foolishness and nonsense to the people around us is merely logical, reasonable and common sense in God's kingdom. 

     Luke 16:10 'Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.' Everything we have comes from God. Are we being faithful with the little we have been given?  Are we using our 'very little' to grow God's kingdom? 

     Just remember: we cannot out-give God. Whatever He gives us, He expects us to use for His glory and His honor. When we do that, use our talents and gifts for Him, then He promises to bless us mightily. And we can start today. 

      

The God of Math-Creation

During my lifetime I have noticed that many people are obsessed with the numbers scattered throughout the Bible. The number of perfection is debated. The number of a man is questioned. There are 12 disciples and 12 patriarchs. Trinity means three.

Some people question the existence of God. Especially a God who would allow horrible things to happen to good people. Some have stopped asking questions, some cease to seek for God. Some seek the higher power within themselves. (There isn't one, btw)

Numbers have their place, but they are not the be-all and end-all of the Holy Scriptures. God is the God of Math. He is One and Three. There was no big bang. There was no evolution. There is Creation. By the Trinity of God. Genesis 1:1, 2 "In the beginning GOD created the heaven and the earth.And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the SPIRIT of GOD moved upon the face of the waters." Genesis 1:26 "And GOD said, 'Let US make man in OUR image, after our LIKENESS: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." They worked together, in unity, as ONE bringing about the existence of every living creature, even mankind.

So, GOD created one man and one woman. He told them to multiply. He did not tell the monkey to evolve. He did not create 2 men or 2 women. One man + one woman = one relationship, one union (Genesis 2:24).