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Testimonies for the Church Volume 2
There are three watchwords in the Christian life, which must be
heeded if we would not have Satan steal a march upon us; namely,
Watch, pray, work. Prayer and watching thereunto are necessary
for advancement in the divine life. Never was there a time in your
history more important than the present. Your only safety is to live
like a watchman. Watch and pray always. Oh, what a preventive
against yielding to temptation and falling into the snares of the
world! How earnestly should you have been at work the past few
years, when your influence was extensive.
Dear sister, the praise of men and the flattery current in the world
have had greater influence upon you than you have been aware of.
You have not been improving your talents—putting them out to
the exchangers. You are naturally affectionate and generous. These
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traits of character have been exercised to a degree, but not as much as
God requires. Merely possessing these excellent gifts is not enough;
God requires them to be kept in constant exercise; for through them
He blesses those who need to be helped, and carries forward His
work for the salvation of man.
The Lord will not depend upon niggardly souls to take care of the
worthy poor nor to sustain His cause. Such are too narrow-minded;
they would grudge the smallest pittance to the needy in their distress.
They would also want the cause narrowed down to meet their limited
ideas. To save means would be the prominent idea with them. Their
money would be more valuable to them than precious souls for
whom Christ died. The lives of such, so far as God and heaven are
concerned, are worse than a blank. God will not trust His important
work with them.
“Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, curse ye bitterly
the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the
Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty.” What had Meroz
done? Nothing. This was their sin. The curse of God came upon
them for what they had not done. The man with a selfish, narrow
mind is responsible for his niggardliness, but those who have kindly
affections, generous impulses, and a love for souls are laid under
weighty responsibilities; for if they allow these talents to remain
unemployed and to waste they are classed with unfaithful servants.
The mere possession of these gifts is not enough. Those who have