ONE TITHE WASN'T ENOUGH !
The Heart>Warming Account of a Christian Womanfs Experience in Giving
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By Daisy L. Monroe As Told to Betty Bruechert
A LTHOUGH often urged by friends to do so, I have always hesitated about putting into print the story of God’s dealings with me in the matter of giving for two reasons: I feared that I might appear to take credit for what God had done for me; or that I might leave the impression that I felt others must follow my example. I trust it will be clear from this account that all glory belongs to the Lord and that His plan for me is not necessarily His will for anyone else. A brief mention of my life will be. nec essary as background. Born and reared in Canada, I was one of eleven chil dren. Mine was not a Christian home, for my father believed that all “church people” were pious hypocrites. Conse quently, we had no religious training whatever. I married my grade school sweetheart while in my ’teens and we moved to Detroit, Michigan. My husband, who had a Christian background, wanted some kind of religion in his new home. So, beginning with our wedding night, he decided that at the close of the day we would kneel down together and say the Lord’s Prayer. However, our lives were completely worldly; we attended shows, played cards, and danced; I was particu larly fond of dancing, and could keep it up all night. My husband, who was in the jewelry business, delighted in be decking me with gems and dressing me in glamorous clothes. We lived for the world, the flesh, and the devil, but somehow Mr. Monroe seemed to realize all was not well. When we made a down payment on a little house, he said, “ Now that we have a home of our own, we are going to join a church.” This did not interest me, but I wanted to please him, so I went around with him from church to church until finally we found one full of lively young people, which we began to attend regularly, even going to Sunday School. When the young minister called and asked us to join the church, I asked him a question that had been troubling me: “ What happens to us after death?” He answered indifferently, “ Oh, after death comes judgment.” He left a booklet in which the requirements for membership were stated: abandonment of worldly amusements and regular attendance at all services, including prayer meeting, and faithful support of the church. We were even asked to say grace before and after meals! My heart sank as I read it, for it seemed to me they were' Page Ten
taking away from me everything I en joyed and giving me nothing in return. On a memorable Sunday—February 16, 1913—the minister asked my hus band directly: “Aren’t you going to join today?” Immediately Mr. Monroe re plied, “ Yes,” and before I realized what was happening to me, I was up in front, shaking hands with the preacher—an unsaved member of a Protestant church! By the time I*got home, I was the most unhappy person in the world. My fa ther’s remarks about hypocrites in the church came back with renewed force. I was totally ignorant of salvation. I did not know a single Bible verse. I loved the world and knew I could not give up its pleasures. In utter despair, I spent a most wretched night. Conversion The next morning, after my husband went to business, I could bear it no longer. There was a terrible weight of sin upon my heart. I paced up and down the house, from room to room. Finally, with tears running down my face, I knelt down and cried out, “ Oh, God, do some thing!” And He did! Suddenly the awful burden was gone; joy sprang up in my heart like a fountain, bubbling over so that I could scarcely contain myself. Now I know that what happened was that I was born again by the Spirit of God, but then all I was aware of was that God for Christ’s sake had for given my sins. Suddenly, mysteriously, in a moment, the things of the world which I had loved so dearly lost their charm. May I say to the glory of God that from that day to this my hands have never played a game of cards, my eyes have not beheld a theatrical per formance or a “movie,” and my feet have never whirled about a dance floor. My Saviour has really satisfied! And as for fine clothing—but that belongs with the giving part of my story. I got down my Bible and read it with a hungry heart, and although I did not under stand much of it then, I loved it from that minute. When my husband came home, he found me radiant. He went along with me in a life of separation, and we were very happy. Surrender Of course, I was but a babe in Christ, but soon I joined a Bible class where I was instructed more perfectly in the things of God. As I grew in Christ, I discovered many things in my nature displeasing to Him. I well remember be
ing very impatient with an obstreperous Junior Church of which I had charge. One day, in a heart-searching service, without demonstration of any kind, with the additional spiritual understanding which I had acquired, I knelt, and said to Him from the depths of my being, “ God, come in and rule my life.” While I have no quarrel with those who try to “locate” this experience doctrinally, all I know is that for me it was the fulfillment of Romans 12:1: “ Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, ac ceptable unto God, which is your rea sonable service.” It has been so won derful to have the Lord in control that from that time I have never desired to run. my own life. To be thus wholly yielded to God is the secret of a joyous and victorious Christian life. The First Tithe I first learned about giving a tenth from a tract entitled Thanksgiving Ann. The idea of giving ten cents out of every dollar was new to me, but I saw the promise in God’s Word that He would pour out a great blessing if it was practiced, so I decided to do it. I wondered if my husband would have any objection. After all, we were buy ing our home, and payments had to be made regularly. However, by this time, I had learned the greatest lesson of my entire life: The quickest and easiest way to get things is to pray for them. So I asked the Lord to make Mr. Mon roe willing to give a tenth of his salary for home and foreign mission work. Then I co-operated by giving him a good dinner before approaching the sub ject! Husbands are always better-na- tured when they are well-fed. When I told him what was on my heart, he said, “ I was thinking about the same thing.” So right away we began to give a tithe, and it seemed that the nine-tenths we had left went twice as far. Over and over again God more than made up to us for what we gave to His work.. One incident will serve as an illustra tion: In the company for which my hus band worked was a lonely old watch maker into whose life as young married people we tried to bring a little cheer. One day Mr. Monroe came home with the sad news that our dear old friend had died. Later, to our astonishment, we were notified that he had left us $500.00— $450.00 to pay on our ljttle home, and $50.00 for the Lord’s work! Our house was paid for in a remarkably short time. T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
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