If a Man Being Evil Giveth a Gift He is Counted Evil Before God

Bryan Richards

The best example of this principle is the famous offering of Cain. Cain was evil. He followed Satan’s counsel in making an offering unto the Lord. Yet, he expected a full reward. He was surprised and angry to learn that the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect (Gen 4:4-5). In essence, Cain had been counted evil before God. Hereby, he became the great prototype of the evil gift-giver.

The story is told of a man who had been pressed for weeks by his wife and bishop to live the law of tithing. Finally, exasperated, the man went into the bishop’s office, slid the envelope across the desk, and said, “Here Bishop, here’s your damn tithing!” The bishop calmly slid the envelope back across the desk, replying, “well if that’s the way you feel about it, then you can keep your money. The Lord doesn’t want it.”

Brigham Young

“We say to the Saints, do not pay Tithing, unless you want to; do not help to build up this Temple unless you want to; do not put forth your hands to one day’s work, unless you want to… . If you grudgingly put forth your means to help to gather the Saints, it will be a curse to you.” (Hugh Nibley, Brother Brigham Challenges the Saints, p. 460)

Alvin R. Dyer

"There are some, for vanity or other superficial reasons, that may seemingly offer a good gift, but only to deceive, and often as not, this simulation is made to cover something ugly and sinful which lodges beneath a false veneer.
“In the balance of innermost-thoughts and feelings lies the real person, to be evil or to be good. God recognizes no sense of good which is but a cloak of how the inner person really feels…Of these, the Master has said, when with assumption they shall come up for a crown or a place in His Kingdom, ’Depart, for I never knew you.’” (BYU Speeches of the Year, Alvin R. Dyer, Mar. 16, 1965, p. 5)

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