Giving

The Bible says it is more blessed to give than to receive. Someone once suggested to me that that's because if you can give, you're blessed because you have it to give. Which, I imagine, would make someone like Bill Gates blessed indeed. But, no, I suppose most would agree Mark 12:43-44 sort of nips that thought in the bud.

Lately we've been on the receiving end of a lot of giving, and we're very grateful to all the givers. I would name names, but I'm sure I would forget someone or something, and that just wouldn't do. Howsomever, I will say how grateful to God am I that both my wife and I have in-laws that are more than the opposite of troublesome or meddlesome. Our parents are the picture of giving folk. Dear reader, I might say that I doubt you would ever meet more giving people in this life.

And thank you and God bless you to all you other givers out there who cooked for us, watched our kids, brought balloons to cheer up our room at the hospital, helped watch our kids at church, and on and on. You know who you are. And I dare say God does too.

And now I give you this wonderful little story about giving that has a whole lot of wonderful lessons bundled up inside. Seriously, this is really good. Read on...

From Faith Without Works is Dead (50-0822)

One time, I thought it wasn't right to receive a present someone give you. Brother Sharritt, a man corrected me on that. He said, "Brother Branham, I hate to correct you on anything." But said, "You're mistaken there." He said, "You've caused those people for not receiving their presents; you cause them to lose their--their reward." He said, "It's more blessed to give than it is to receive." Then he told me of his story. I did... I just believe I'll tell this right now. It just comes to my mind for a moment. John B. Sharritt from Phoenix, Arizona, one of the business managers of the campaign... Many of you has met him, no doubt. If anybody here would happen to know Brother Sharritt, or anybody, John Sharritt, Phoenix, Arizona? Well, he's a product of God's Bible School in Cincinnati, Ohio. The dean of the college was just talking to me long distance a few moments ago, a very fine man, Brother Stanley. Many of you hear Brother Stanley from the... God's revivalist. He's at my house waiting for me now.

And he and Brother Raymond T. Richey... Many of you heard of him, haven't you, from Houston, Texas. He belongs to the church, Assemblies of God, and has a Evangelistic...?... there. And so Brother Sharritt, he was borned kind of--of a fellow that didn't have very much of the world's goods. His father was a very poor man, and he was very rowdy. And he left his mother. And John Sharritt, about fifteen years ago, was selling apples at a nickel apiece out in front of him like this in St. Louis, Missouri. Apples... On a little bi... couldn't have a cart to take care of his mother. And he had an impediment of speech. He couldn't talk at all. If you go to talking, just stand at just...?... He just... he try again. And like if he was going to say, "Good evening, he'd say, "Goo... [Brother Branham makes unintelligible noises--Ed.]" Wait a while and say, "Goo..." And that's about the way he'd try to get it; awful bad...?...

Well, but he begin to seek the Lord when he was a boy. And all the boys was running out to different places with young ladies. He said, "Lord, I--I'm going to trust You. I--I--I'd--I'd be awful out trying to talk to young ladies. But I want to be married and have children. And I'm going to serve You, and You give me a wife." He committed it to the Lord: age of about twenty-five. If he could've pass every woman by in the world, he couldn't have a better one than what he's got. God give him a lovely little saint. But one great thing he loved children so well... She was barren. He was married for many, many years, six, seven, eight, ten years, no children. He cut concrete on the street, twenty-five cents a hour to make a living. And they'd saved their money, and they bought a little three room house. I think it cost about fifteen hundred dollars back in the time of the depression. And they'd paid, and paid, and paid. And...?... paid until till they paid all of it off.

But just about the time they got it all paid off, they had a revival in Phoenix. And there was a man by the name of Doctor Sutton. Don't know whether you know him or not, a...?... A Gospel--full Gospel preacher came down there to Phoenix, and he was staying in a tourist camp. And the Lord appeared to Brother Sharritt one night in a dream. He said to him, "Take your silverware and your clothes and your wife, and leave your home, and turn that over to this Brother Sutton." Think of it. After about ten years of hard labor in the depression, saving and striving, and the Lord told him to turn that place over to Doctor Sutton, which was a--a well known minister. Brother Sharritt said, "All right, Lord." Went to his little companion, said, "Honey, the Lord has spoke to me and told me to turn our house over... Just to take our silverware and our clothes, and turn the house over to Doctor Sutton."
When he went and told her, she said, "All right, dear." She believed in her husband, said, "If the Lord said for you to do that, God's got something else for us to do."

So she... He turned all he had now. And he didn't have no place to take his wife that night. And they found the tourist camp that cost seventy-five cents. And they stayed in the tourist camp that night, and making twenty-five cents a hour cutting concrete on the street (That's right.), working daily for... He's a great big man, weighs about two hundred and twenty-five pounds. And about a week later, some rich lady told him that--that she would move some of her things back in her garage, if he wanted to live in her garage, up towards Camelback Mountain (You know where this place is.), kind of a big old aristocratical part of the country there. Said, "You... If you'll keep my yard trimmed of...?... come in, and keep the grass watered, and so forth." Said, "You can live in my garage free." He moved up there without one thing. He got some boxes, got him a...?... and laid on the floor, got him a mattress...?... him and his wife slept there. Brother Sutton said, "Brother Sharritt, I don't..." Said, "The Lord had said for me to do that. That's all right."

And he went on. And he was that way about a year, lived a good Christian life. Finally, the lady that he lived with was a multimillionaire woman. And she seen his honesty. He was a Christian just like a Daniel down in Babylon. She went up to him one day. She said, "John," she said, "you know what? The Lord spoke to me last night in a dream, and told me that I shall loan you ten thousand dollars to go in business." "Why," he said, (he couldn't talk) Said, "Lady, I--I can't even talk. I'll never make a businessman." She said, "But the Lord told me to do it, and here's the check." He said, "Well, ah, I--I--I couldn't let you do this." Said, "I--I don't want ten thousand dollars laying on my... No, huh-uh." So she said, "But the Lord said for me to give it to you. I notice you've been a good honest man, seen you reading the Bible. And I got me a Bible and was reading. And the Lord told me to give you the check, loan it to you, for ten thousand dollars to go in business."

So he took the check. He didn't know what to do. So he went on. And one evening he was walking up and seen a little old five room house for sale for two thousand dollars. So he went down there and cashed the check and bought it for two thousand dollars. And went down there, him and his wife, and begin to knock the plastering off of the place and replastered it nicely, Him and his wife working together. And he plastered up the house, fixed the ground, and put a sale sign up on it. And if he'd have got three thousand, they'd have made money. And he sold it for six thousand. Today John Sharritt's worth a half a million dollars. That's been about six or seven years ago since he started, worth a half a million dollars. He's the father of three fine little children. Oh, my. He said, "Brother Branham, what if I would have... What if Dr. Sutton wouldn't have taken...?... what God told me to do. See what it would've been?"

And now, he stood there, said, "Lord, whenever I see your program, I'll..." Just, he had so much money, said, "I don't want..." He owns orange groves, ranch houses. He owns the big Thunderbird Ranch there, one of the greatest there is in Arizona.
And he said, "All these things..." He said, "I--I've got more money than I know what to do with." And God give him a fine little girl, then a little boy, then a little girl. That's the reason he isn't with us tonight. The little baby's just recently born. His wife had been barren for all these years. And now, she's bearing children, just...?... doing. Oh, what a happy family. And he said, "When I come to Phoenix..." He said, "Went up to the meeting one night," and he said, "Lord, isn't that where You was talking about?" And then he said... come to me. He said, "Brother Branham, you don't owe me a penny. But if I can pass your hat, or bring your coat, I want to be in the campaign." And I had prayer for him, and God restored his speech back to--to him again. Now, he's healed, with his fine home, everywhere. Gives his tithes to the Lord of everything he makes. Oh, my. He's just blessed.