Testimonies for the Church, Volume 2 - Ellen G. White

and with the showers of rain? Who gave them the
sun to warm the earth and awaken into life the
things of nature, causing them to flourish for the
benefit of man? Men whom God has blessed with
His bounties clasp their arms about their earthly
treasure and make these bounties and blessings,
which God has graciously given them, a curse by
filling their hearts with selfishness and distrust of
Him. They accept the goods lent them, yet claim
them as their own, forgetting that the Master has
any claim upon them, and refusing to yield to Him
even the interest that He demands. Riches cause the
professed followers of Christ many perplexities
and pierce them through with many sorrows
because they forget God, and love and worship
mammon. They allow worldly treasures to embitter
their lives and prevent them from perfecting
Christian character. And, as though this were not
enough, they transmit to their children, to curse
them, that which has proved the bane of their own
lives. God has entrusted men with means to prove
them, to see if they are willing to acknowledge
Him in His gifts, and use them to advance His
glory upon the earth.
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