THERE is a little text in our Bible that reads thus, “God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:77Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7)), and I was thinking of this text when I heard of how a farmer and his wife acted.
They had been to a missionary meeting, where the question of giving away copies of the Bible to the poor had been talked over, and how much money would be wanted to carry out the purpose.
When they came home the wife said that she would like to put aside five dollars a year for the purpose, but the farmer replied that he intended to give five dollars a year, and he did not think they could afford ten dollars, but she reminded him that he had given her a few days before, five dollars to buy a hive of bees, and she would rather give the money for the Lord’s work, and go without the bees.
They agreed to this, and strange to say the next day a swarm of bees settled on a tree in their garden, and was soon safely placed in an empty hive.
The farmer and his wife were both struck with this circumstance. It seemed as if the Lord were rewarding them for giving money for His service, and they made up their minds that all the honey that came from this hive of bees should be given to the Lord, and also any other swarms that might come from the same hive.
This little colony of bees increased so fast that after a few years quite a large sum of money was given away year by year.
ML-12/22/1935