EGW
“Not slothful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord,” is the exhortation of Paul to his Roman brethren. The first part of this injunction is quoted by many as an excuse for continually overtaxing their mental and physical powers in the pursuit of gain, while they entirely overlook the requirement to be “fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.” ST July 3, 1884, par. 1
No one has a right to load himself down with a multitude of cares. However lawful the business prosecuted may be of itself, however honorably it may be conducted, it must not be allowed to unduly absorb the mind and occupy the time. God will not accept a divided heart. His law requires supreme love to God, and unselfish love to our neighbor. If men and women allow mind and body to be so worn down by constant and excessive labor that this law is disregarded, they commit sin. They are serving other gods before the God of Heaven; for when some other object usurps the devotion that belongs to God, that object becomes an idol; and that to which is given the freshest hours of the day, the closest thought and study, the greatest skill, is that which is dearest and most valued. ST July 3, 1884, par. 2
There will be temptations to worldliness while society is in its present state,—while gold is power, and a man is measured by his wealth and position. Many are fascinated by these alluring temptations. They see that the possession of wealth and honor gives power and influence, and they would rather be ranked among those who enjoy the luxury and position that money gives, than among those who possess true goodness and nobility of character. ST July 3, 1884, par. 3
There are many professed Christians who are selfish and grasping, and who love themselves better than they love God or their neighbor. Often they are even more grasping than those who make no pretensions to godliness. They appear before the world almost entirely in the character of business men, as speculators grasping for worldly gain. They are not known as humble, devoted, self-sacrificing Christians, true-hearted and kind in all the relations of life. The plainest and most positive injunctions of the word of God are deliberately set aside for worldly wisdom and maxims. They say, “God does not expect us to carry strict religious principles into our business affairs. Business is business, and religion is religion, reserved for the church and the Sabbath.” ST July 3, 1884, par. 4
The man who takes this selfish course denies the faith, and strengthens and confirms the ungodly in their impenitence by making them believe that religion is all a pretense. His soul is laid a manacled victim on the altar of mammon. He does not seek “first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” and he cannot claim the promise that all things needful shall be added unto him. ST July 3, 1884, par. 5
Gold is not the standard of judging with God. Jesus asks, “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Surely this is an exorbitant price to pay for the fleeting treasures of earth. Success here is terrible failure. He who judges correctly in the light of eternity, calls those who are rich in worldly possessions while they are not rich toward God, poor, wretched, blind, and miserable. ST July 3, 1884, par. 6
Sometimes the family is neglected. Parents do not deal faithfully with the souls committed to their trust. They do not take time to give their little ones the discipline they need to fit them to shine as jewels in the kingdom of God. Morning and evening, by earnest prayer and persevering faith, Christian parents should make a hedge about their children. They should patiently instruct them,—kindly and untiringly teach them how to live in order to please God. ST July 3, 1884, par. 7
Too often parents feel that they have no time for morning and evening prayer. In the morning the workmen must be hurried into the field, that the greatest amount of labor may be performed, and the service of God is not considered essential. They cannot spare a few minutes to be spent in thanksgiving to God for his abundant mercies,—for the blessed sunshine and the showers of rain, which cause vegetation to flourish, and for the guardianship of holy angels. They have no time to offer importunate prayer for divine help and guidance, and for the abiding presence of Jesus in the household. They go forth to labor as the ox or horse goes, without one thought of God or Heaven. They have souls so precious that rather than permit them to be hopelessly lost, the Son of God gave his life to ransom them from the power of the grave; but they have no more appreciation of his great goodness than have the beasts that perish. ST July 3, 1884, par. 8
Dear reader, will you not candidly and prayerfully consider how the moments are passing in your busy life? Remember that God requires your undivided affections, and that it is your duty to love your neighbor as yourself, and to labor unselfishly for his salvation. Your ability, tact, and talent should be employed to induce your fellow-men to enlist in the service of the Redeemer. Reckon up the hours spent in selfish pursuits when they should have been given to better purposes, and see how your account stands in Heaven. Deal honestly and truly with your soul. Have you not long been guilty of robbery toward God,—that God who constantly employs all the agencies of nature to work in your behalf, and who poured out to you all the treasures of Heaven in one gift, that of his own beloved Son? ST July 3, 1884, par. 9
There is no virtue in indolence. The idle are encompassed by as great perils as beset those that are overtaxed with care. While excessive labor destroys physical and mental vigor, do-nothings rust from inaction. “Not slothful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord,” says the apostle. Here we shall find the straight, safe path, which escapes alike the entanglements of worldliness and the evils resulting from want of occupation. ST July 3, 1884, par. 10
Why will not men and women pursue a sensible course? They need employment, but should not permit themselves to become surfeited or drunken with the cares of this life. To be surfeited is to be in a feverish state, constantly anxious, hurried, unduly excited. The alcoholic draught deprives a man of reason, so that his actions are wild, inconsistent, and unreasonable. The drunkard does not, with calm judgment, act with reference to his own best interest, neither does the man who, drunken with the spirit of the world, barters eternal interests for the things of time. ST July 3, 1884, par. 11
There are high and holy themes that should engage our attention. We are Christ's property, the purchase of his blood; and he has work for every one of us. All our skill and energy should not be devoted to worldly pursuits, so that we have no vigor, no clear, sharp intellect, to give to his service. The disobedient and ungrateful, who will not respond to his claims, will in no wise be excused because they did not enlist under his banner. It is the duty of all, by a well ordered life and a godly conversation, to present Christ to the world in his true character, as the self-denying, spotless Lamb of God. ST July 3, 1884, par. 12
Every one has a cherished object of pursuit. The lover of pleasure has an uneasy, restless, unsatisfied desire for enjoyment. He puts God out of his thoughts, and dismisses every duty that is not pleasant. He learns to depend on excitement, and is uneasy without it. His mind is ever on the stretch to invent new amusements and diversions. He drinks in iniquity, and poisons his soul by his unlawful pursuits. ST July 3, 1884, par. 13
The covetous man engages with his whole soul in his chosen enterprise. He may make a success of life so far as this world is able to judge. While many fail, perhaps are even beggared, he may amass wealth; but he is more to be pitied than the victims of his avarice, for he has lost his soul in an effort to grasp shadows. ST July 3, 1884, par. 14
The ambitious man seeks for position, honor, and power. He gains his object, and sinks into the grave. The world applauds him, and calls him a successful man; but, weighed in the balances of the sanctuary, he is pronounced wanting, and it is too late to redeem his failure. He has gratified vanity and chased illusions, and in the books of Heaven eternal loss is put down opposite his name. ST July 3, 1884, par. 15
Thus all have some engrossing object to absorb the mind, and often this cherished object is allowed to separate the soul from God. Jesus is acquainted with the desires of the human heart, and the Bible is given us to direct them into the proper channel. This holy word does not forbid activity; it does not leave men to lead aimless lives; it presents before them objects worthy of their best efforts. The Bible shows the pleasure-seeker the path of peace and joy; it directs the aspirations of the ambitious. If wealth is the object of desire, it unfolds treasures that will never disappoint,—unsearchable riches, imperishable as the throne of the Eternal. ST July 3, 1884, par. 16
The psalmist observed the righteous and the wicked. He saw the difference in their course of conduct, and in the principles that governed them. Of the worldling he says, “I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay-tree. Yet he passed away, and lo, he was not; yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.” But of the righteous he says, “Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; for the end of that man is peace.” ST July 3, 1884, par. 17