Ministers and Commercial Business
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.
“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 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
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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 of
all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith,
and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man
of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness,
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