Giving.

I've been reading a book about Hudson Taylor.  He was a missionary to China over 100 years ago.  He did amazing things, and had a staggering faith in God.  He didn't ask people for money, deciding instead to trust God to provide everything that was needed for the mission work to carry on. Here's an extract from the book about a church meeting he spoke at in 1866.  It was at a place called Totteridge, and he was hosted by a guy called John Puget, who was a Colonel.

At the meeting, Hudson Taylor used his large map of China, and described to his audience the size, population and spiritual need of China.  Afterwards Colonel Puget, sensing that many in the hall were impressed by what they had heard, rose to speak.  "Mr Taylor requested that the notices announcing this meeting carried the words, 'No collection'.  However, I do feel that many of you would be distressed if you were not given an opportunity to contribute to the work in China.  As what I'm about to propose emanates [comes] entirely from myself and, I'm sure, expresses the feeling of many in the audience, I trust that Mr Taylor will not object to a collection being taken."
Mr Taylor, however, jumped quickly to his feet.
"Mr Chairman, I beg you to keep to the condition you agreed to. Among other reasons for making no collection, the reason put forward by your kind self is, to my mind, one of the strongest.  My wish is not that members of the audience should be relieved of making such contribution as might now be convenient, under the influence of emotion, but that each one should go home burdened with the deep need of China, and ask God what he would have them to do."


Do you get that?  Colonel Puget says, basically, "Hey, we're all really impressed with what you're doing in China, and we'd like to give you a bit of money for it."  Taylor responds, "No, I want you to go away and think about it.  Don't chuck money in a collection bag, ask God what He wants.  Giving a bit of money now is too easy, and I don't want you to get off that lightly".

The book goes on:
If after thought and prayer they are satisfied that a gift of money is what He wants of them, it can be given to any missionary society having agents in China; or it may be posted to our London office.
But in many cases what God wants is not a money contribution, but personal consecration to His service abroad; or the giving up of a son or a daughter - more precious than silver or gold - to His service.  I think a collection tends to leave the impression that the all-important thing is money, whereas no amount of money can convert a single soul.  What is needed is that men and women filled with the Holy Ghost should give themselves to the work.  There'll never be a shortage of funds for the support of such people.

We've all done it, haven't we?  Those people who shake their charity collection tubs in the high street.  We often put money in just to shut them up.  Hopefully it will stop them shaking the darn thing (at least as long as it takes us to put the money in...).  That's not really a spirit of giving is it?  Hey, if we've got a small child with us, we might do it for the free stickers the charity folks are handing out.  Taylor's saying to the meeting, 'I don't want to let you off with a quick fix gift.  I don't want you going home tonight thinking you've done your bit with a few coins in the collection.  I want you to go home with a weight on your shoulders - the burden of the spiritual needs in China - and to ask God how to deal with it.  If He says give a few coins to the collection, then fine, give money.  But be willing for Him to ask you for much more than that'

A couple of paragraphs on, it's breakfast at Colonel Puget's house, where Taylor had spent the night.  The Colonel invites Taylor into his study:
"Here are the contributions to your work which I was handed last night," he said, "I thought last night, Mr Taylor, you were in the wrong about a collection.  I am now convinced you were quite right.  As I thought in the night of the streams of souls in China ever passing into the dark, I could only cry as you suggested, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?"  I think I have obtained the guidance I sought, and here it is."
Colonel Puget handed Hudson Taylor a cheque for five hundred pounds.  "If there had been a collection," he added, "I would have given a few pounds to it."

So there you have it.  It turns out Taylor was right.  Instead of lying in bed thinking about what a lovely evening he'd had, and how he'd been able to give some money to Taylor's work, Colonel Puget has a horrible night's sleep, worrying about the burden of people in China who haven't heard the good news about what God has done for them.  He realised how much more he could do than he originally thought.  Instead of shutting up the voices in his head with a little gift, he listened to them, and gave much more.
And just in case you're wondering, five hundred pounds in 1866 would be worth at least twenty thousand pounds today.

How can we be more generous in what we give to God?