The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them. Proverbs 11:3, NKJV.
Christ has said: “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.” “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” The deeds of people’s lives are the fruit they bear. If they are unfaithful and dishonest in temporal matters, they are bringing forth briers and thorns; they will be unfaithful in the religious life and will rob God in tithes and offerings.
But sin is sin, whether committed by the possessor of millions or by the beggar in the streets.
The Bible condemns in the strongest terms all falsehood, false dealing, and dishonesty. Right and wrong are plainly stated. But I was shown that God’s people have placed themselves on the enemy’s ground; they have yielded to his temptations and followed his devices until their sensibilities have become fearfully blunted.
A slight deviation from truth, a little variation from the requirements of God, is thought to be, after all, not so very sinful, when pecuniary gain or loss is involved. But sin is sin, whether committed by the possessor of millions or by the beggar in the streets. Those who secure property by false representations are bringing condemnation on their souls. All that is obtained by deceit and fraud will be only a curse to the receiver.
Adam and Eve suffered the terrible consequences of disobeying the express command of God. They might have reasoned: This is a very small sin, and will never be taken into account. But God treated the matter as a fearful evil, and the woe of their transgression will be felt through all time.
In the times in which we live, sins of far greater magnitude are often committed by those who profess to be God’s children. In the transaction of business, falsehoods are uttered and acted by God’s professed people that bring His frown upon them and a reproach upon His cause.
The least departure from truthfulness and rectitude is a transgression of the law of God. Continual indulgence in sin accustoms the person to a habit of wrongdoing, but does not lessen the aggravated character of the sin. God has established immutable principles, which He cannot change without a revision of His whole nature.
If the Word of God were faithfully studied by all who profess to believe the truth, they would not be dwarfs in spiritual things. Those who disregard the requirements of God in this life would not respect His authority were they in heaven.—Testimonies for the Church 4:311, 312.
Courtesy: The Devotional, To Be Like Jesus, Ellen Gould White.
“You shall have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure, that your days may be lengthened in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.”Deuteronomy 25:15, NKJV.
It is best to deal honestly with your fellow beings and with God. You are dependent upon Christ for every favor you enjoy; you are dependent upon Him for the future, immortal life; and you cannot afford to be without respect unto the recompense of reward.
Those who realize their dependence upon God will feel that they must be honest with others, and, above all, they must be honest with God, from whom come all the blessings of life. The evasion of the positive commands of God concerning tithes and offerings is registered in the books of heaven as robbery toward Him.
No one who is dishonest with God or with others can truly prosper…. The Lord has bought us with His own precious blood, and it is because of His mercy and grace that we may hope for the great gift of salvation.
We are enjoined to deal justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God. Yet the Lord declares, “Ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.”
When we deal unjustly with other human beings or with our God, we despise the authority of God and ignore the fact that Christ has purchased us with His own life.
The world is robbing God upon the wholesale plan. The more He imparts of wealth, the more thoroughly do people claim it as their own, to be used as they shall please. But shall the professed followers of Christ follow the customs of the world? Shall we forfeit peace of conscience, communion with God, and fellowship with our brethren and sisters because we fail to devote to His cause the portion He has claimed as His own?
Let those who claim to be Christians bear in mind that they are trading on the capital entrusted them of God, and that they are required to faithfully follow the directions of the Scriptures in regard to its disposal. If your heart is right with God, you will not embezzle your Lord’s goods and invest them in your own selfish enterprises.
In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets. Matthew 7:12, NRSV.
Those who truly fear God would rather toil day and night, and eat the bread of poverty, than to indulge a passion for gain which would oppress the widow and the fatherless, or turn strangers from their right.
Our Savior sought to impress upon His hearers that the person who would venture to defraud a neighbor in the smallest item would, if the opportunity were favorable, overreach in larger matters. The slightest departure from rectitude breaks down the barriers, and prepares the heart to do greater injustice.
By precept and example Christ taught that the strictest integrity should govern our conduct toward our fellow beings. Said the divine Teacher, “Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.”
Just to the extent that people would advantage themselves at the disadvantage of others will their souls become insensible to the influence of the Spirit of God. Gain obtained at such a cost is a fearful loss. It is better to want than to lie; better to hunger than to defraud; better to die than to sin. Extravagance, overreaching, extortion indulged by those professing godliness, are corrupting their faith and destroying their spirituality.
The church is in a great degree responsible for the sins of its members. It gives countenance to the evil if it fails to lift its voice against it. The influence from which it has most to fear is not that of open opposers, infidels, and blasphemers, but of inconsistent professors of Christ. These are the ones who keep back the blessing of the God of Israel.
The business world does not lie outside the limits of God’s government. True religion is not to be merely paraded on the Sabbath and displayed in the sanctuary; it is for every day and for every place. Its claims must be recognized and obeyed in every act of life. Those who possess the genuine article will in all their business affairs show as clear a perception of right as when offering their supplications at the throne of grace.—The Southern Watchman, May 10, 1904.
Courtesy of: To Be Like Jesus by E.G. White, June 2.
Some of my childhood memories revolve around the music I grew up listening to. We all have a soundtrack of our lives that echo the times in which we live.
“What the World Needs Now” composed by Burt Bacharach is a song that was released and made popular by Jackie DeShannon in 1965, but Dionne Warwick sang a contemporary version most resonating to the new age.
The Lyrics go…
Lord, we don’t need another mountain There are mountains and hillsides enough to climb. There are oceans and rivers enough to cross, Enough to last till the end of time.
What the world needs now is love, sweet love It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of. What the world needs now is love, sweet love, No, not just for some but for everyone.
What was true in the sixties is still rings true today.
What the world needs is a little love.
Once again the world is boiling over in unfathomable diseases and infections like coronavirus, pestilences in Africa like locusts, riots, violent protests, racial unrest, hatred and fear. What is needed now is not another press conference, or another tweet from our leaders, or another protest march where people end up dead.
It should be clear to everyone that we do not have the answers to the problems that plague us. There is only one answer. What the world needs now is love.
And “God is love” (1 John 4:8). He’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.
In case we forgot,
Love is patient,
Love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. (1 Cor. 13:4-8).
Let’s do our part to change the discordant soundtrack of our times and allow the music of God’s love to play through us.
What can you do today to show love and care to the world? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below. 🙂
We know from the Bible that these troublesome events will not cease as we approach Christ’s second coming.
Mark A. Kellner
Kenyan Locust Plague
Rarely since the Exodus of Hebrew slaves from Egypt has the African continent seen such a sight: locusts swarming throughout Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia, with South Sudan and Uganda also at risk. Reports indicate that the heavy rains in Yemen and Ethiopia at the end of 2019 created ideal breeding conditions.
According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the crop-destroying insects move quickly and cause immense devastation: “Locust adults can eat their own weight every day, i.e., about two grams of fresh vegetation per day. A swarm the size of Bamako, Niamey or Paris will consume the same amount of food in a single day as half the population of Mali, Niger and France respectively.”
In the past, locusts have usually been combated with aerial pesticide—sprayed over infested areas by aircraft. But in Somalia, with its current military situation, that is not a viable solution. Alternative methods are limited and ineffective. As a result, Somalia’s government “has declared a national emergency as large swarms of locusts spread across east Africa. The country’s Ministry of Agriculture said the insects, which consume large amounts of vegetation, posed ‘a major threat to Somalia’s fragile food security situation,’” the BBC reports. It’s feared the locusts might not be brought under control before Somalia’s farmers begin to harvest crops in April.
Another large issue at hand is the cost. Several small planes dropping pesticide in the adjacent countries of Ethiopia and Kenya are not enough to combat against a multiplying horde. The 2003–2005 locust outbreak in Africa, the Wall Street Journal notes, cost $600 million to control, including $90 million of food aid for the affected areas. More than $2.5 billion in post-harvest losses were reported by farmers.
As for Kenya, the locusts are the newest in a growing pile of economic issues. “For Kenya, sub-Saharan Africa’s second-largest exporter of fruits and vegetables after South Africa, the stakes are high. Effects from a 2018 drought followed by flooding last year slashed Kenya’s main grain harvest by around a third, pushing up food prices and stirring unrest in poorer pastoral communities. Economic growth slowed to 5.8 [percent] last year from 6.3 [percent] in 2018, weighed down in part by the decline in agricultural output,” the Journal reports.
An International Threat? An additional article from the BBC indicates that the plague could even spread to another continent: “[T]he problem could get worse as the year goes on. Aside from growing numbers in east Africa, locusts have also been breeding in India, Iran and Pakistan, which could turn into swarms in the spring.”
The Journal additionally quotes FAO director general Qu Dongyu on the crisis: “This has become a situation of international dimensions that threatens the food security of the entire subregion.” Dongyu also cites the need for international funds in order to avert the disaster.
Moreover, the report from AccuWeather.com offers this bleak news: “It’s been 25 years since people in Kenya and Ethiopia have seen swarms of this magnitude and 70 years since Kenya last encountered such an invasion of locusts. FAO officials warn that the locusts are rapidly heading toward Ethiopia’s Rift Valley, known as the country’s ‘breadbasket.’”
What’s behind this? The Associated Press says scientists hold climate change responsible: “Heavy rains in East Africa made 2019 one of the region’s wettest years on record, said Nairobi-based climate scientist Abubakr Salih Babiker. He blamed rapidly warming waters in the Indian Ocean off Africa’s eastern coast, which also spawned an unusual number of strong tropical cyclones off Africa last year. … Even now rainfall continues in some parts of the vast region. The greenery that springs up keeps the locusts [fueled].”
Another Perspective The Bible, however, may offer an important explanation. Scripture tells us that we are living in the last days, and during that period, “nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:7, 8).
We know from the Bible that these troublesome events will not cease as we approach Christ’s second coming. Famines and pestilences? Sounds like what’s happening in East Africa right now—or what soon may take place. While we pray that such a disaster is limited, if not avoided altogether, we also know from the Bible that these troublesome events will not cease as we approach Christ’s second coming.
The news may be full of dire threats, but God tells us not to let our hearts be troubled (John 14:1). He gives us warnings for the last days not to frighten us, but to prepare us spiritually. No matter what the future brings, God is in control. Consequently, Revelation’s prophecies have two practical purposes: to teach us how to live today and to prepare us for the future.
Also worth considering is Pastor Doug’s message “A Famine in the Land,” which discusses an important preparatory step for all believers: “The Bible tells us there will be famines in the last days, cultural and spiritual famines. If we are prepared, we can weather the famines and storms with God’s help. We need to be storing the Word of God in our minds now.”
Whatever happens in Africa, whatever happens in the world, one thing is certain: Staying close to God and His Word is necessary during the times of trouble that lie ahead!
The Young Adventist 