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Love of Gain
553
The neglect of the light that God has given you has, in a degree,
made you captive, subject to Satan’s devices; therefore a door has
been left open for him to gain access to you in other directions and
make you a weak man. He sees that he has succeeded in blinding
your eyes to the interests of your family by leading you to neglect
the light which the Lord has given. Then Satan has beset you in
another direction. He has excited your love of traffic, your love of
gain; and thus your interest has been divided from the cause and
work of God. The love of God and the truth is gradually becoming
of less importance. Souls for whom Christ died are of less value
to you than your temporal interests. If you continue to pursue this
course, you will soon become jealous, sensitive, and envious, and
will go away from the truth, as others have gone.
You are anxious to obtain labor in your locality, hoping that
something can be said or done to awaken your children. You have
neglected your duty. When you take up the long-neglected work
which the Lord has left for you to do; when you, with the spirit of
Christ, resolutely arouse yourself to set your house in order, then
you may hope that God will aid your efforts and impress the hearts
of your family. While you have made your children an excuse for
your remaining at home, you have not done the work for which you
pleaded to stay at home. You have not disciplined your children.
Your wife is deficient in this respect, therefore there is the greater
need that you be in a position to do your duty. Her love is of that
kind which will lead her to indulge them in doing as they please and
in choosing their own society, which will lead to their ruin. Your
presence at home, while you allow your children to do as they please,
is worse for your family than if you were away from them; and it
has a worse influence upon the cause of truth.
[628]
God calls for earnest, unselfish, disinterested laborers in His
cause who will keep up the various branches of the work, such as
obtaining subscribers for the periodicals, teaching them promptness
in paying their dues, and encouraging brethren to keep up their
systematic benevolence. Sacrifice, self-denial, toil, and disinterested
benevolence characterized the life of Christ, who is our example
in all things. The work and character of a true minister will be in
accordance with the life of Christ. He laid aside His glory, His high
command, His honor, and His riches, and humbled Himself to our