03/09/2011 - Danger surrounding the children of God

• 
• 
• 
• 

A cunning Canaanite! Deceitful scales are in his hand; He loves to oppress. And Ephraim said, ‘Surely I have become rich, I have found wealth for myself; in all my labours they shall find in me no iniquity that is sin.

Hosea 12:7-8

How sad it is to hear from the Lord that we have become merchants! Well, it is not wrong to seek prosperity; it is not wrong to derive profits from one’s worldly work and be able to purchase good things and enjoy them. However, it is a mistake to do these things and fail to give the lost ones the love they deserve. We, who were born in the family of God, are more than privileged; we are the Body of the Lord. But, unfortunately, many have become merchants in that they are only dedicated to evangelizing those who can give them – or so they think – some form of reward.
As servants of the Most High we have to do what He instructs us. Otherwise, we will lose the privilege of His Grace. Our judgement must never be biased; after all it is not correct to be inclined to one side for whatever reason at all because everybody has equal rights. The fear of God is what must lead all our choices because, with it, we will never make any decisions that we might regret later or that might do harm to somebody. Having double standards – using a deceitful scale – is something nobody should do, let alone the servants of the Lord.
It is not wrong to obtain profit in the things we do; the mistake lies in striving to live in pursuit of such profits. In order to do good deeds, we must devote ourselves only to the Lord; in this way we will see that He is always faithful to bless all the work of our hands and with Him we can achieve much more than loving the material rewards – profit without blessing becomes oppression.
Ephraim showed that the purpose of his heart was to become wealthy. But those who are sensible must set only the fulfilment of the divine truth as a goal for their lives. Laying up earthly store might become
a snare, but laying up heavenly riches is a blessing to be sought after with determination.
The fascination for riches has corrupted many people. Jesus said that it is one of the reasons why the Word of God becomes unfruitful in the hearts of many (Mark 4:19). We must only be allured by the work of the Lord. Sometimes, my brethren, selling goods to somebody might make you lose the greatest reward: winning that soul. If you win souls, your profit will be much higher than any money.
In the verse above we can see that selfishness overwhelmed the Ephraimites. They strived to gather many riches and then they boasted about what they got. Yet, those riches were wretched – and rust, moth and thieves did away with them. However, if they had gathered treasures for eternal life, they would have never been the wretched and miserable people referred to by the Lord in Revelation 3:17.
In Christ, with love,
R. R. Soares