Now concerning the collection for the saints: you should follow the directions I gave to the churches of Galatia. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put aside and save whatever extra you earn, so that collections need not be taken when I come. 1 Corinthians 16:1-2
“Only fix even the smallest amount you purpose to give of your income, and give this regularly; and as God is pleased to increase your light and grace, and is pleased to prosper you more, so give more. If you neglect an habitual giving, a regular giving, a giving from principle and upon scriptural ground, and leave it only to feeling and impulse, or particular arousing circumstances, you will certainly be a loser.
A merchant in the United States said in answer to inquiries relative to his mode of giving, “In consecrating my life anew to God, aware of the ensnaring influence of riches and the necessity of deciding on a plan of charity, before wealth should bias my judgment, I adopted the following system:
I decided to balance my accounts as nearly as I could every month, reserving such portion of profits as might appear adequate to cover probable losses, and to lay aside, by entry on a benevolent account, one tenth of the remaining profits, great or small, as a fund for benevolent expenditure, supporting myself and family on the remaining nine tenths. I further determined, that, if at any time my net profits, that is profits from which clerk-hire and store expenses had been deducted, should exceed five hundred dollars in a month, I would give 124 percent; if over seven hundred dollars, 15 percent; if over nine hundred dollars, 174 percent; if over thirteen hundred dollars, 221 percent—thus increasing the proportion of the whole as God should prosper me, until at fifteen hundred dollars I should give 25 per cent or 375 dollars.
As capital was of the utmost importance to my success in business, I decided not to increase the foregoing scale until I had acquired a certain capital, after which I would give one quarter of all net profits, great or small, and, on the acquisition of another certain amount of capital, I decided to give half, and, on acquiring what I determined would be a full sufficiency of capital, then to give the whole of my net profits.
It is now several years since I adopted this plan, and under it I have acquired a handsome capital, and have been prospered beyond my most sanguine expectations. Although constantly giving, I have never yet touched the bottom of my fund, and have repeatedly been sur prised to find what large drafts it would bear. True, during some months, I have encountered a salutary trial of faith, when this rule has led me to lay by the tenth while the remainder proved inadequate to my support; but the tide has soon turned, and with gratitude I have recognized a heavenly hand more than making good all past deficiencies.”
George Muller in George Muller and His Witness to a Prayer Hearing God, compiled by Arthur T. Pierson (New York: Baker and Taylor, 1899) 443-445.
Don’t miss the tone of Muller’s teaching for us before he shares the story of an American merchant. He wants us to set up habitual and proportionate giving so that we don’t lose out on the opportunity to grow in generosity.
When we don’t grow our giving as God supplies, we are the ones who miss out.
Then, don’t let the math of the American merchant throw you off. He kept the Master’s resources working in the business and as God increased his revenues, he increased his giving on a system. Do you have such a system?
This is a scale or pattern that guides you as a steward to give proportionately.
Do this not because Muller or some merchant says you are a loser if you don’t do it. Do it because you realize with eagerness that you are blessed to be a blessing. And because Paul’s directions for the Corinthians in today’s Scripture relate also to us.
God wants us to give habitually and proportionately as his heavenly hand supplies.