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Counsels on Stewardship
remember that it is the means of another which he is handling, that he
is only a steward, and God is displeased with the unwise management
of that means which could have been used to advance the cause of
present truth. At the reckoning day the unfaithful steward must give an
account of his stewardship.—
Testimonies for the Church 1:225, 226
.
More Attractive Than Persevering Labor
The enemy of souls is very anxious to hinder the completion of the
special work for this time by bringing in some erroneous transaction.
He will bring it under the garb of great liberality; and if those pursuing
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this course have apparent success for a time, others will follow. And
the very truths that are testing our people for this time, and which, if
clearly understood, would cut off such a course of action, lose their
force.
Some will strike out into flattering speculative money-making
schemes, and others will quickly catch the spirit of speculation. It is
just what they want, and they will engage in lines of speculation that
take the mind off from the sacred preparation that is essential for their
souls in order for them to be prepared to meet the trials which will
come in these last days.
The enemy of souls has his plans carefully laid, and he will try
in every possible way to carry them to success. Something after this
order, [
Reference is here made to a plan for land and mine speculation
to be promoted among Seventh-day Adventists, with a large part of
the anticipated gains dedicated to the Lord’s work.—Compiler.
] a plan
that promises to be as gracious and successful as this, has been started
a good many times among our people. But when the time came that
they expected great success, it proved to be an entire failure. That
confused the minds of the people. They had gotten into speculation,
and they liked that plan better than hard work and going right on as we
have done usually, laboring perseveringly and trusting in the Lord....
Diverting Minds from the Truth
Every movement of this order, which comes in to excite the desire
to get riches quickly by speculation, takes the minds of the people away
from the most solemn truths that ever were given to mortals. There
may be encouraging prospects for a time, but the end of the matter