The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1933, Page 34

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER

Living Is Giving.

The heav’ns their riches ever pour
Down on the earth in a rich store;
And never weary do they grow
On man their blessings to bestow.
They live
To give.

When nature with its bounty ends,

To man no more its mercies sends,

Such ending of its welcome grace

Is proof that it’s in death’s embrace.
To deny
Is to die. F. J. L.

Giving in Tips and Tithes.

On a sleeper or in a hotel it is not in good taste
to neglect giving the porter or waiter a gratuity, or
tip, in recognition of services received. This tip is
not to pay for the berth or the meal, for they have
been paid in full; the tip is no more than a matter
of custom or kindness and not an obligation what-
soever. .

Now, it is just in that way that not a few people
give to missions. They give regularly to the church
to which they belong and feel that in doing so they
have fulfilled their whole duty. But in the way of
good nature they contribute a trifle more to extend
the bounds of Christ’s kingdom. They in no way
look upon giving to missions as an obligation; they
do not regard the support of missions as a part of
their duty as stewards. Not to appear close or
selfish, they give a quarter or even a dollar to For-
eign or Home Missions in exactly the same spirit
in which a man tips the porter with a quarter for
blacking his shoes or brushing his clothes and the
waiter for being obliging at the table.

In the Mosaic Law the people were commanded
to give a tithe of all the fruits of the ground and of
their cattle. The Mosaic Law plainly said: “The
tithe is the Lord’s.” To withhold the tithe was de-
clared to be robbing God, and those who did this
were punished for their sin. The Jews in the days
of Malachi robbed God by not paying Him the tithe,
and the Lord, by the mouth of the prophet, calls
upon the people to bring their tithes to God’s store-
house and promises that the Lord will open the win-
dows of heaven and pour out His richest blessings
upon them. Besides the tithes the Jews were ex-
pected to bring free-will offerings. ©

We Christians of to-day are far from giving a
tithe of our income to the Lord, even though the

_ blessings which we enjoy far exceed in number and

value those given to Israel. ‘The average Christian

of America gives to Foreign Missions only an an-
nual tip — the small sum of fifty cents! There are

- men and women in America whom God has so pros-

pered that the tithe of their income would enable
them to contribute most liberally to the support of
their home congregation and besides support a mis-
sionary in the home or in a foreign field. And if
they can do it, why should they not do it?

We fully realize that the law of the tithe has not
been transferred from the Old Testament to the
New; for God has seen fit to treat us as grown-up
people whom He need not tell in detail just what
they must give. But He has told us that we should
give as He has prospered us. The thought ought to
lie near that, if the Jews gave a tithe for the enjoy-
ment of the promises, we Christians ought to be
willing to give that much at least for the substance.

There are those who say they cannot afford to
give a tenth of their incomes for the work of the
Church. The testimony of those who have done as
the Lord told the Jews to do in the days of Malachi
have had the very experience which God then told
the Jews they would have, Mal. 3,10. The ex-
perience of these has been that the nine-tenths re-
maining with His blessing went farther than the
ten-tenths without His blessing. And it surely does
seem reasonable that, if the Jew could give a tenth
of his income, and if the heathen can give a tenth to
his idols, the Christian should be able to give at
least an equal part of his income to the true and liv-
ing God. Should a Christian want to give less than
a Jew? Should a follower of Jesus want to do less
in His Savior’s cause than a blind heathen does for
his religion ?

If all Christians within the bounds of the Synod-
ical Conference were to give a tenth, there would be
money enough in the Lord’s treasury for local
church expenses, including a Christian day-school,
for missions of every kind, and for general beney-
olences. The treasuries would be overflowing.
There are probably those among us who could live
on a tenth of their income and give nine-tenths to
the Lord.

Is it not really time that we should cease tipping
the Lord and willingly give Him the tithe? Is it
not time that we should begin to give as the Lord
has prospered us? Can we say that we are honoring
the Lord with our substance when we put Him off
with a tip? God is not a beggar asking for alms;
He is the preferred Creditor, and His claims should
be satisfied first and in full.

What shall it be with us — TIP or TITHE?

F.J.L.

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