Care for the Souls of Men

December 10

"We ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure," 2 Thessalonians 1:4

Some people believe they will walk the rest of their days on a bed of rose petals when they give their hearts to Jesus. It’s easy to arrive at that conclusion—especially if you live in the United States of America. This is the land where one can hardly turn on the TV without coming upon religious programming, and it is a well-known fact that many religious broadcasters are extremely wealthy.

The palatial homes and lavish life-styles of those who seem to preach the Gospel for personal gain would indicate—that for some at least—God holds out great temporal reward to those who preach Christ’s Eternal Kingdom. Of course, I have no right to name their names or to judge their hearts, but the verse does come to mind which says, “’Lord, Lord, didn’t I prophecy in Your name and didn’t I do mighty works in Your name?’ and He will say, ‘Depart from Me. I never knew you,’” Matthew 7:22.

Yes, most of us would like to enjoy lavish creature comforts. Most of us would prefer to have great wealth than to live in poverty or to be one of the ordinary folks in the work-a-day crowd. Most of us strive to save money, invest well, and accrue a nest egg that will suffice us at times of crises or for our old age. We hope to have something of value to bequeath to our children when we’re gone. We want our cup to be more than half full.

But, most of us work toward these desired ends by employing our own ingenuity, our own skills, our own resources toward attaining them. We do not use the preaching of the Word of God and the sharing of the good news of the free gift of salvation provided by Jesus Christ in order to obtain great wealth for ourselves or to set up a preaching dynasty that we bequeath to our children.

In reflecting upon today’s introductory verse, it seems the opposite is required of those who profess to walk in faith in Christ. Those who endure persecution and affliction in service to Him are the ones who are well-spoken-of by the Apostle Paul. They are the ones whose faith and perseverance He declares. They are the ones to whom the Lord Himself will say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter ye into the joy of the Lord,” Matthew 25:23.

To those who gain vast personal wealth through the preaching of the Word, a plea for self- reflection may be in order…do you prefer temporal gain or eternal blessing? Are you truly serving the Living Christ through your ‘ministry’ or are you serving your own self- interests? Do you care for the things about which Jesus cares—the souls of men—or do you care about the aggrandizement of your worldly coffers? Your answers to those questions may determine your eternal destiny.