The Greatest Secret of Them All

Earning Wealth Through Biblical Principles

In the 1920s, a successful sculptor attended a church service and heard a sermon from the Sermon on the Mount.

The minister's message was about giving to the poor and the needy.

For reasons he could not explain, the sermon, he later wrote, "profoundly stirred" him.

When he arrived home, he immediately began searching for the passage the minister had read.

It wasn't easy.

"I found it with considerable difficulty," he admitted, "for I was not familiar with the Bible."

But eventually he found the page.

As he read it, he could hardly believe what he was seeing.

"There it was," he wrote, "in black and white—the exact same process for achieving power to do, be and have what you want."

From that day on, the sculptor carried that page from the Bible wherever he went

. He became known for quietly helping people in need, and he took Jesus' words so seriously that he believed even the recipient of a gift should be under strict instruction not to reveal it.

If the gift was to be given in secret, then the secret was to remain a secret.

Years later, he shared its remarkable message with Dr. Hudson, a physician discouraged in his work, remarking to him:

"This page contains the rules for generating mysterious power."

Dr. Hudson's own life was profoundly changed by the principles on that page.

Lloyd C. Douglas recounted this story in Magnificent Obsession, and a later sequel, Dr. Hudson's Secret Journal, was published.

Readers everywhere became fascinated. They all wanted to know the same thing.

What page of the Bible was he talking about?

What verse had so profoundly stirred him?

Douglas never revealed it.

Instead, he sent his readers on what he later called "a treasure hunt in Holy Writ."

Perhaps we should accept the same invitation.

Let's go on the hunt.

As I followed the clues through the Bible, I discovered that the principle of giving and receiving does not appear just once. It echoes throughout the Scriptures.

Jesus says:

"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom..."

—Luke 6:38 (KJV)

Paul adds:

"He which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully."

—2 Corinthians 9:6 (KJV)

Then we come to Proverbs.

If anyone understood wealth, it was King Solomon. God had blessed him with extraordinary wisdom and riches, so his observations are worth paying attention to.

He writes:

"There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty."

—Proverbs 11:24 (KJV)

What a remarkable observation.

In God's kingdom, the generous person grows richer, while the one who continually withholds eventually comes to poverty.

Solomon continues:

"The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself."

—Proverbs 11:25 (KJV)

The clues are all pointing in the same direction.

God delights in blessing generosity.

Then I came across another astonishing promise:

"He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again."

—Proverbs 19:17 (KJV)

Amazing!

Think about what God is saying.

When you help someone in need, God says it is as though you are lending to Him personally—and He promises to repay your kindness.

Imagine that. The One who owns heaven and earth says, "Help someone in need, and I will repay you." If the Owner of everything promises to repay you, His resources are beyond measure.

Then Jesus gives us a glimpse of what His repayment can look like:

"...good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over..."

—Luke 6:38 (KJV)

So how does God want us to give?

The Scriptures begin answering.

• Not reluctantly.

Paul says we should give "not grudgingly, or of necessity," because "God loveth a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7). The attitude matters as much as the gift.

• Not only when we have plenty.

The widow of Zarephath shared the little she had left, and God multiplied what she had.

The poor widow gave all she had, and Jesus said she had given more than them all.

• Not expecting anything in return.

Jesus teaches us to "do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again," yet He also promises that "your reward shall be great" (Luke 6:35).

But then, just when we think we have learned everything about giving...

Jesus opens the final door.

Give...

• ...in secret.

Jesus said:

**"But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly."**

—Matthew 6:3–4 (KJV)

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This must be the final clue to what the sculptor discovered.

God is not simply looking for generous hands.

He is looking for a generous heart.

A heart that gives quietly without fanfare.

A heart that seeks no applause.

A heart that is content for only one Person to know—God.

Perhaps some of us are thinking,

"I already do these things... so why do these promises still seem out of reach?"

The answer may lie in the rest of the Sermon on the Mount.

The same Sermon on the Mount that teaches us to give in secret also teaches us to forgive, seek reconciliation, love our enemies, pursue righteousness, and live justly in our relationships with others.

Jesus invites us into a way of life where generosity and righteous living walk hand in hand. His promises are never meant to be separated from the life He calls us to live.

The blessings of the Sermon on the Mount belong to those who embrace the life described in the Sermon on the Mount.

May God give us understanding.

What does this mean for you?

Today, someone may cross your path with a need.

Perhaps it is a struggling family.

A lonely neighbour.

A student who cannot afford a textbook.

Someone quietly carrying a burden.

Could you become an answer to their prayer?

Not for recognition.

Not because you are trying to earn God's favour.

But because your Heavenly Father has been generous to you.

And if no one else ever knows... your Father who sees in secret will.

Perhaps the greatest secret has been in our Bibles all along.

Reflection

As you go about your day, reflect on all you have read about giving and ask yourself:

• What needs are around me that I can meet today?

• How can I give in line with God's principles—generously, cheerfully, and in secret?

• What can I do differently in the way I give to others?

  
  

May the Lord, who has given so generously to us, guide our hearts and open our eyes to opportunities to serve Him by serving those around us in Jesus' name. Amen!

God bless!