Written by: John Sernaque
Stewardship
CS - Counsels on Stewardship (1940)
Chapter 4—The Conflicting Principles of Christ and Satan
Human beings belong to one great family,—the family of God. The Creator designed that they should respect and love one another, ever manifesting a pure, unselfish interest in one another’s welfare. But Satan’s aim has been to lead men to self first; and yielding themselves to his control, they have developed a selfishness that has filled the world with misery and strife, setting human beings at variance with one another. {CS 24.1}
Selfishness is the essence of depravity, and because human beings have yielded to its power, the opposite of allegiance to God is seen in the world today. Nations, families, and individuals are filled with a desire to make self a center. Man longs to rule over his fellow men. Separating himself in his egotism from God and his fellow beings, he follows his unrestrained inclinations. He acts as if the good of others depended on their subjection to his supremacy. {CS 24.2}
Selfishness has brought discord into the church, filling it with unholy ambition.... Selfishness destroys Christlikeness, filling man with self-love. It leads to continual departure from righteousness. Christ says, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” But self-love is blind to the perfection which God requires.... {CS 24.3}
There is so much strife, violence, and hate in the world. Satan is the head of all this, leading his victims into perdition. It is his aim to divide and conquer, he being the ruler of the world, with others under subjection to his supremacy. Satan has promulgated his teachings throughout the world that it is self you should love and obey. So, your focus ends up being on you and not on Jesus. This would be Satan’s ultimate victory, to deny Jesus and worship the dragon, that old serpent who will deceive many, even the very elect. Because if you are not on Jesus’ side, you are on Satan’s side. One cannot worship two masters. Sadly, there are some at the church in positions of authority who enable the selfish character of Satan, instead of the perfection of Christ Jesus. They do not take an interest in their brothers or sisters but allow their selfishness and egos to separate them from God and their fellow beings. Sound familiar? It does to Satan. Don’t get trapped in Satan’s snare, rather keep your eyes on Jesus and His Heavenly Kingdom. “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
Our Heavenly Father,
We thank You for all the love You shower upon us in abundance. So much that we are able to share this love with one another as You require. We pray that You keep us all faithful in helping others unselfishly. Do not let our minds be distracted from Your Word by getting caught up in the selfish essence of depravity. Help us to be perfect, just like You. We pray for all the churches and their leaders to exemplify Your character, and not that of Satan. We pray for forgiveness for all the times whereby we were filled with self-love. We thank You for hearing and answering our prayers. In the name of Christ Jesus, we pray. Amen.
