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Counsels on Stewardship
him riches were honor and power; and the great amount of his treasure
made such a disposal of it seem almost an impossibility.
This world-loving man desired heaven; but he wanted to retain
his wealth, and he renounced immortal life for the love of money and
power. Oh, what a miserable exchange! Yet many who profess to be
keeping all the commandments of God are doing the same thing.
Here is the danger of riches to the avaricious man; the more he
gains the harder it is for him to be generous. To diminish his wealth
is like parting with his life; and he turns from the attractions of the
immortal reward, in order to retain and increase his earthly possessions.
Had he kept the commandments, his worldly possessions would not
have been so great. How could he, while plotting and striving for
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self, love God with all his heart, and with all his mind, and with all
his strength, and his neighbor as himself? Had he distributed to the
necessities of the poor as their wants demanded, he would have been
far happier, and would have had greater heavenly treasure, and less of
earth upon which to place his affections....
Accountable to God
Said Paul, “I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the barbarians;
both to the wise, and to the unwise.” God had revealed His truth to Paul,
and in so doing had made him a debtor to those who were in darkness
to enlighten them. But many do not realize their accountability to
God. They are handling their Lord’s talents; they have powers of mind,
that, if employed in the right direction, would make them coworkers
with Christ and His angels. Many souls might be saved through their
efforts, to shine as stars in the crown of their rejoicing. But they are
indifferent to all this. Satan has sought, through the attractions of this
world, to enchain them and paralyze their moral powers, and he has
succeeded only too well.
The Future Destiny at Stake
How can houses and lands compare in value with precious souls
for whom Christ died? Through your instrumentality, dear brethren
and sisters, these souls may be saved with you in the kingdom of glory;
but you cannot take with you there the smallest portion of your earthly
treasure. Acquire what you may, preserve it with all the jealous care