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Counsels on Stewardship
wholesale plan. The more He imparts of wealth, the more thoroughly
do men claim it as their own, to be used as they shall please. But shall
the professed followers of Christ follow the customs of the world?
Shall we forfeit peace of conscience, communion with God, and fel-
lowship with our brethren, because we fail to devote to His cause the
portion He has claimed as His own?
Let those who claim to be Christians, bear in mind that they are
trading on the capital entrusted them of God, and that they are required
to faithfully follow the directions of the Scriptures in regard to its
disposal. If your heart is right with God, you will not embezzle your
Lord’s goods, and invest them in your own selfish enterprises....
Brethren and sisters, if the Lord has blessed you with means, do
not look upon it as your own. Regard it as yours in trust for God,
and be true and honest in paying tithes and offerings. When a pledge
is made by you, be sure that God expects you to pay as promptly as
possible. Do not promise a portion to the Lord, and then appropriate it
to your own use, lest your prayers become an abomination unto Him.
It is the neglect of these plainly revealed duties that brings darkness
upon the church.—
The Review and Herald, December 17, 1889
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No Better Than Sacrilege
That which has been set apart according to the Scriptures as be-
longing to the Lord, constitutes the revenue of the gospel, and is no
longer ours. It is no better than sacrilege for a man to take from God’s
treasury in order to serve himself or to serve others in their secular
business. Some have been at fault in diverting from the altar of God
that which has been especially dedicated to Him. All should regard
this matter in the right light. Let no one, when brought into a strait
place, take money consecrated to religious purposes, and use it for his
advantage, soothing his conscience by saying that he will repay it at
some future time. Far better cut down the expenses to correspond with
the income, to restrict the wants, and live within the means, than to use
the Lord’s money for secular purposes.—
Testimonies for the Church
9:246, 247
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