01/10/2011 - DO AS YOU ARE TOLD

• 
• 
• 
• 

 

He who is slothful in his work is a brother to him who is a great destroyer.

Proverbs 18:9

 He who is unmindful of God’s work and acts deceitfully and inattentively when doing it bears a terrible witness to the Truth because in so doing the lost will not believe that the Lord is good. Moreover, he can be blamed for the eternal damnation of many lives.

Indeed, the negligent who speaks of God’s goodness and even does church work as if he were a true Christian is actually giving a bad impression because people notice that he never obtains the divine favor for the solution of his personal problems. The bad example that was set due to his carelessness causes the lost to feel they are being deceived.

Among the holy people something similar happens though this should not occur. The Lord is a fulfiller of all His promises and He does not fail to honor what proceeds from His lips, but we must learn how to perform God’s work. Those who follow the guidance from on high always manage to succeed and, therefore, are examples for those who are not yet saved to start to trust in God\’s Word.

In the passage we have just read, the Bible declares that “He who is slothful in his work is a brother to him who is a great destroyer”. The destroyer is another kind of person who displeases God. Christ, in His death, bought for us everything we will need to live victoriously. However, some do not pay the slightest attention to this fact and prefer to make flesh their strength to solve their problems, thus wasting the opportunity to have communion with the Holy Spirit, to prove the divine love and to overcome temptations.

The destroyer, instead of seizing the opportunities that the Lord grants him, is concerned in piling up treasures for this life. In fact, there are very few people who understand that they can credit to their eternal account what will be helpful for them in the hereafter. Rather, they find it more beneficial to travel, have nice cars, houses, expensive clothes etc.

For them, it is best to enjoy the earthly pleasures and forget that Jesus\’ advice is for us to lay up treasures for our eternal life (Matthew 6:19-20).

The destroyers are children who cause embarrassment. Because they do not know the value a soul has they never invest in the work of evangelization. Actually, they may sponsor some social service provided they are recognized as the benefactors. Do we have to do this? Are our priorities more important than attending to the divine issues? My brethren, if you answered \”yes\”, beware! You had better take the warnings of our Master seriously so that you are never accused of negligence in the work of the Lord!

In Christ with love,

R. R. Soares