SABBATH 43—OCTOBER 26, 2024

In God’s Hands, Everything is Valuable

Matthew 6:33—“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Robert LeTourneau was born in 1888 in Richford, Vermont. The son of godly parents, he heard about the gospel since his childhood. For a time, he rejected the truth, but thanks to the prayers of his parents, he accepted Christ as his savior when he was sixteen.

As an adult, he was a prolific inventor of earthmoving machinery and became a millionaire because of the equipment he designed and built. Throughout his life, he secured nearly 300 patents relating to earthmoving equipment, manufacturing processes, and machine tools. When he was thirty, he suffered a devastating loss with the death of his eldest son. It made him rethink his life’s goals and purpose. He began to worry that his love for machines could replace his love and commitment to the cause of God. So, together with his wife, Evelyn, he decided to dedicate himself to God’s cause and use the resources he had for the preaching of the gospel.

His story became well-known because he decided to give ninety percent of what he had to God and live with the remaining ten percent. From then on, he was known as “God’s businessman.” One day someone asked him, “Mr. LeTourneau, is it true that you give ninety percent of your ncome to the Lord?”

He replied, “No, I don’t give anything to God. Everything belongs to Him. I am the one who retains ten percent of what is His!” This story shows a great example of generosity. However, some may think, I too could live on ten percent of a billionaire’s income. God truly expects us to use whatever is available to us for His sake. You might not be able to put an end to the famine on a continent, but you can help to eliminate the famine of a family in your hometown. You can’t take the gospel to an entire country, but you can study the Bible with your neighbor. It is not our lack of ability that worries God, but our lack of availability.

Appeal: Make sure you look at the Bible and see what God was able to do with apparently insignificant things such as David’s sling, a few loaves and fishes, or a widow’s little flour and oil.