I can give you many testimonies concerning giving. But I do not wish to do so. I will just speak about my first lesson in this matter. In 1923 Brother Weigh Kwang-hsi invited me to his place, Kien-ou, which was about one hundred fifty miles from Foochow. I was a student, and Brother Weigh was my classmate. When I was about to leave for Kien-ou, I asked Brother Weigh, “How much is the fare?” He said, “The fare by boat is several dozen dollars.” I then said, “Let me pray about this. If the Lord wants me to go, I will go.”
At that time I did not have any money in my hand. I prayed, “If You want me to go, You must provide me the money.” After praying this way, the Lord gave me between ten and twenty dollars. In addition, I had more than a hundred silver dimes. But the total amount still fell short of the fare by more than half. Not long after this, Brother Weigh wrote me a letter and told me that everything was ready. I sent him a telegram and told him that I would go. I decided to leave on Friday. On Thursday I rose up early, and the word came to me: “Give, and it will be given to you.” I was unsure within. If I gave my money to others and the Lord did not give any back, I would then not be able to go. I was quite troubled.
However, my feeling within grew stronger and stronger. I felt that I should give the dollars and keep the coins. Therefore, I thought about who should be given the money. Eventually, I had the thought of giving the dollars to a certain brother who had a family. I dared not tell the Lord that I would obey, and I dared not tell the Lord that I would disobey either. I just said, “Lord, I am here. If You want me to give to this brother, please let me meet him on my way.” I rose up and walked out of the house. Along the way I met the brother. As soon as I saw him, my heart sank. But I was prepared. I went over to him and said, “Brother, the Lord has told me to place this in your hands.” After I said this, I turned around and left. When I was two steps away from him, my tears began to roll down. I said, “I have sent a telegram to Brother Weigh that I would go. Now the money is gone. How can I go?” But I also felt very happy within because the Lord said, “Give, and it will be given to you.”
On my way home I said to the Lord, “Lord, You need to give to me. The time is short, and the boat is leaving tomorrow.” No money came on Thursday. On Friday when I was about to leave, there was still no money. A brother came to send me off. But there was still no money. The brother took me aboard the boat. As soon as I stepped aboard the boat, I thought to myself, “I cannot go. I will never make it. I have never left Foochow before, and I have never gone inland. I do not know a single person west of Foochow.” I had been praying since I left home that day. When I went aboard the boat I was still praying. I prayed until the brother left, and even until I laid down to sleep. I said, “Lord, I have given to others. Yet You have not given to me in return. It is now Your business.” That day the boat took me to Hung-Shan Bridge, where I changed boats to Shui-Kou. While on board, I paced back and forth from the upper deck to the lower deck several times, thinking to myself, “In order for God to provide for me, I should make it easier for Him by walking around a few more times to see if He has arranged for me to meet someone.” But this did not work out, and I did not find anyone whom I knew on the boat. Nevertheless, I repeated to myself, “Give, and it will be given to you.”
This went on until the next day. At about four or five o’clock, the boat was about to reach Shui-Kou. After Shui-Kou, I had to change transportation again for a more expensive ship. After I paid the boat fare, I found out that I had only a little more than seventy dimes left. I was troubled, and I prayed, “Lord, I am now in Shui-Kou. Should I buy a ticket to return to Foochow?” Right then I resolved in my mind to simply go to Kien-ou and leave the rest to the Lord. I said, “Lord, I will not ask for money as long as You will take me to Kien-ou.” After praying this way, I felt peaceful.
I was standing on the bow of the boat, and before the boat reached Shui-Kou, a little boat approached and the boatman asked me, “Sir, are you going to Nan-Ping or Kien-ou?” I said, “To Kien-ou.” He said, “I will take you there.” I asked him how much it would cost, and he said, “Seventy dimes.” When I heard that, I knew the Lord had prepared the way for me. I agreed to go with him. He carried my luggage to his boat. The regular fare to Kien-ou was seventy or eighty dollars. I asked him, “Why are you letting me go so cheaply?” He replied, “The fare is so cheap because this boat has been chartered by a county officer. He is in the front cabin of the boat, and he has given me permission to carry another passenger so that I can earn some money to supplement my food.” I clearly remember that day; I bought some vegetables and meat with the little money that was left and arrived at Kien-ou safely.
As the time for my return from Kien-ou grew near, I was once again in a quandary. I had only twelve dimes left. After spending about a dollar on shopping, I had only twenty cents left. I kept praying as the conference was coming to an end. One day Mr. Philips, one of the famous Cambridge Seven, invited me for a meal. He said, “Mr. Nee, we have been greatly helped by your visit. Is it all right for me to take care of the traveling expenses of your return trip?” When I heard this, I was overjoyed. But I felt it was not proper for me to accept the offer. I said, “Someone has already taken care of it.” When he heard this, he said, “I am sorry to hear that,” and did not mention the matter again. When I returned home, I regretted very much turning down the offer. But when I prayed I had peace within.
I waited for another day. On the third day, as I was getting ready to leave, I only had twenty cents in my pocket. This was not enough for the ticket. I was really in a dilemma. Brother Weigh’s father and family all came to see me off. My luggage had already been taken away by the porter, and Brother Weigh was walking with me. I prayed, “Lord, You have brought me to Kien-ou. You have to bring me back home. It is Your responsibility and You cannot leave it to others. If I have committed any mistake, I am willing to confess it. But I do not believe that I have done anything wrong.” I kept saying, “This is Your responsibility because You have said, ‘Give, and it will be given to you.’” Halfway to the pier, Mr. Philips sent someone to me with a letter. I opened the letter, and it said, “I know someone is responsible for your fare. But God has impressed upon me that I should share your expenses. Please allow an elderly brother to have a little share in this and accept this small sum.” I took the money and said to the Lord, “God, this has come right on time.” I paid the fare with the money, and I still remember that there was enough money to print another issue of The Present Testimony when I returned home.
Upon my return I looked up my co-worker. As soon as I entered his house, his wife said, “Mr. Nee, when you left Foochow, why did you give my husband twenty dollars? Why did you walk away immediately after handing him the money?” I said, “There was only one reason: I had prayed for a whole day, and the Lord told me to give it to him. When I left my house and met him on the way, I simply gave him the money.” She said, “That night we only had enough for one last meal. When your money came, we bought a load of rice and many pounds of firewood. The Lord did not supply us any more money until a few days ago. We had prayed and waited for three days on that occasion.” I left without telling her my story. As I was walking down the hill, I said within myself, “It was good that I did not keep the twenty dollars for myself. The money would have died if I had kept it in my pocket. But now that it has been given away, it has become useful.” I lifted up my head then and told the Lord, “This is the first time I have understood Luke 6:38.” I consecrated myself to the Lord once again and said, “From this day forward, I will give. I will not let a single cent remain idle in my hand.”
I only wish I could give more money so that it would work more miracles for the Lord. I would give money so that the prayers of others may be answered. I do not wish to hold on to my money, letting it remain idle and useless. I dare not brag about my experience in giving. Perhaps I have given a little more than others. Perhaps I have also received a little more than others. But this I can say: In the whole of China, it is hard to find another person who has received as much and given away as much as I have. You may take this as a word from “a fool” (2 Cor. 11:23, KJV). I would rather let my money work miracles and let it become answers to prayers, than see it remain idle and become useless. If I have no use for it today, I will give it away. When I have a need, it will come back, and when it comes back, it will come back more than what I gave.
A new believer must learn to manage his finances from the very beginning. I do not like to tell many stories about myself. However, I must testify that since 1923, I am behind no one in China with respect to using my last dollar. The Lord said, “Give, and it will be given to you.” I am learning this constantly. As I give to others, the Lord meets my needs. I am convinced that a man will only receive when he gives. Time and again, I find that when I give liberally, the Lord liberally gives to me. I do not mind having the reputation of being rich. It is true; I am rich, because I always give. I always let my money go. It never stops, and when it returns to me, it is always multiplied many times. Our God is never stingy.