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The Acts of the Apostles
their trust. The same Spirit that dwelt in Christ as He imparted the
instruction He was constantly receiving, is to be the source of their
knowledge and the secret of their power in carrying on the Saviour’s
work in the world.
Some who have labored in the ministry have failed of attaining
success because they have not given their undivided interest to the
Lord’s work. Ministers should have no engrossing interests aside
from the great work of leading souls to the Saviour. The fishermen
whom Christ called, straightway left their nets and followed Him.
Ministers cannot do acceptable work for God and at the same time
carry the burden of large personal business enterprises. Such a division
of interest dims their spiritual perception. The mind and heart are
occupied with earthly things, and the service of Christ takes a second
place. They seek to shape their work for God by their circumstances,
instead of shaping circumstances to meet the demands of God.
The energies of the minister are all needed for his high calling. His
best powers belong to God. He should not engage in speculation or
in any other business that would turn him aside from his great work.
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“No man that warreth,” Paul declared, “entangleth himself with the
affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be
a soldier.”
2 Timothy 2:4
. Thus the apostle emphasized the minister’s
need of unreserved consecration to the Master’s service. The minister
who is wholly consecrated to God refuses to engage in business that
would hinder him from giving himself fully to his sacred calling. He
is not striving for earthly honor or riches; his one purpose is to tell
others of the Saviour, who gave Himself to bring to human beings the
riches of eternal life. His highest desire is not to lay up treasure in this
world, but to bring to the attention of the indifferent and the disloyal
the realities of eternity. He may be asked to engage in enterprises
which promise large worldly gain, but to such temptations he returns
the answer, “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole
world, and lose his own soul?”
Mark 8:36
.
Satan presented this inducement to Christ, knowing that if He
accepted it, the world would never be ransomed. And under differ-
ent guises he presents the same temptation to God’s ministers today,
knowing that those who are beguiled by it will be false to their trust.
It is not God’s will that His ministers should seek to be rich. Re-
garding this, Paul wrote to Timothy: “The love of money is the root