“A true saint will
be zealous in his daily affairs, but all his energies will be turned to heaven.
While his hands are busy at his tasks, his heart and head will be taken up with
higher matters-- how to please God, grow in grace, enjoy more intimate
fellowship with Christ. The carnal man, in contrast, spends long, hard hours in
his shop and then goes home and spends half the night plotting how to get ahead
in business. He sweats in the shop, but grows cold in the prayer closet. No
weather is bad enough to keep him from market, but if the road to church is a
little slippery or there is a chill in the air, he begs his leave from the
services. No inconvenience is too great if it fattens his pocket, but let the
preacher keep him a minute or two past the hour, and he complains. In short, at
work he keeps his eyes on the till; at church, he keeps them on his watch.
If anything I have
said speaks to you, go quickly to God and petition for a thorough change of
heart.
Perhaps you have a
heavenly spirit in getting earthly things. But do you have the same spirit when
you use them? The good wrestler uses his earthly estate for heavenly ends.
What do you do
with the fruits of your labor? Do you bestow them on your own overstuffed
paunch-- or do you share them with the poor? If you are a prominent member of
your community, how do you use your influence-- for good or for evil? For
selfish or selfless ends? To pray for "things" without a heavenly end
in mind is close to idolatry. Use your material wealth with a holy fear, dear
saint, lest earth should rob heaven, and your temporal enjoyments endanger your
heavenly interests. As Job sanctified his children by offering a sacrifice out
of fear that they might have sinned, so the Christian must continually sanctify
his earthly enjoyments by prayer. In this way He will be delivered from the
snare of them.”
Quoted material from, ”The Christian in Complete
Armour Daily Readings in Spiritual Warfare” by Gurnall and James S Bell.
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