Why Poverty and Distress?
11
stern judge who causes suffering to come upon the creatures He has
made. This misrepresentation of God’s character is made to appear
as truth, and thus through the temptation of the enemy men’s hearts
are hardened against God. Satan charges upon God the very evil he
himself has caused men to commit by withholding their means from
the suffering. He attributes to God his own characteristics.—
The
Review and Herald, June 26, 1894
.
There Need Be No Suffering, No Destitution—If men would do
their duty as faithful stewards of their Lord’s goods, there would be no
cry for bread, none suffering in destitution, none naked and in want. It
is the unfaithfulness of men that brings about the state of suffering in
which humanity is plunged. If those whom God has made stewards
would but appropriate their Lord’s goods to the object for which He
gave to them, this state of suffering would not exist. The Lord tests men
by giving them an abundance of good things, just as He tested the rich
[17]
man of the parable. If we prove ourselves unfaithful in the unrighteous
mammon, who shall entrust to us the true riches? It will be those who
have stood the test on the earth, who have been found faithful, who
have obeyed the words of the Lord in being merciful, in using their
means for the advancement of His kingdom, that will hear from the
lips of the Master, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”—
Ibid
.
Some Rich—Some Poor—The reason why God has permitted
some of the human family to be so rich and some so poor will remain
a mystery to men till eternity, unless they enter into right relations
with God and carry out His plans instead of acting on their own selfish
ideas.—
Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 280
.
To Encourage Love and Mercy—In the providence of God
events have been so ordered that the poor are always with us, in
order that there may be a constant exercise in the human heart of the
attributes of mercy and love. Man is to cultivate the tenderness and
compassion of Christ; he is not to separate himself from the sorrowing,
the afflicted, the needy, and the distressed.—
The Signs of the Times,
June 13, 1892
.
To Develop a Godlike Character in Man—While the world
needs sympathy, while it needs the prayers and assistance of God’s
people, while it needs to see Christ in the lives of His followers, the
people of God are equally in need of opportunities that draw out their