Bible Review V15: October 1916 - March 1918 - Iapsop.com

1917 A WILLING MIND 449
eased and ye burdened: but by an equality, that now at
this time your abundance may be a supply for their
want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your
want: that there may be an equality."
If one gives of what one has an abundance of to another
who has nothing of that quality, and he
receives
in return some thing that he is in need of, then as Paul
has so well put it "There is an equality."
Again, some who are in a position to do so, will often
exact favors or services from those whom they think
they have some power over. But no one who has ever
had any great spiritual awakening will do this, for their
wisdom will show them the great harm that this will
cause.
Right here some fail to realize that it takes just
as large a spirit to receive a favor in the right spirit as
it does to grant one. Who has not gone thru some great
tribulation to render a loving service to one of so large
and magnanimous mould of mind and soul, that the
hardship of the service was forever lost sight of, because
of the gratitude and love in which it was received.
One good test to follow in granting favors is to see to
it that we render the favor in love, if we find that we
cannot, then we had better not grant it. For often the
love that goes with a favor does more good than the
service itself.
The same test should be applied to the
recipient, "Can I receive with gratitude, with loving
thankfulness first to God for sending me the succor then
to his messenger?"
The Christ who walked the earth some two-thousand
years ago was our great teacher in all things, and he
plainly said that he came not to be ministered unto but
to minister; he also said that he came to render services
of which he was not ashamed.
Neither was he ashamed
to receive loving services from others, even tho his
friends were far inferior to him in spiritual gifts.