People—Beasts

People—Beasts

Concerning life, most people are like animals. They think only of themselves, they live only for themselves. They think of food and drink, rest and sleep, weather and wind, their personal advantage and their personal needs. Day after day they follow their usual routine just as day follows night.

Most people do not get past thinking of themselves and their own possessions. This is precisely what animals do. The more you think about this, and the more you consider it, the more striking are the similarities. Then you can better understand the Preacher’s words about men and animals. Eccl. 3:18. Where it concerns responsibility, people have a responsibility that far exceeds that of the animals. When the responsibility is that much greater, and what they accomplish is just as bad, then the end result of it all is that people are that much worse than the animals.

When it is a question of opportunities, people have indescribably more and greater opportunities than beasts. A person can live and hear God’s Word and His voice; and then he can subsequently speak and write and live everything that God has to say to him and thus have unlimited opportunities to help others and to advance much further than just living for himself and all his possessions.

This is the great thing: to receive something divine to give to your poor fellow men, to receive an attitude of mind, love, time, opportunity, and strength to do something really good for them, and the more the better.

Oh, how poor and cold and barren the person is who thinks only of himself and his own possessions. He is truly like an animal! Moreover, it is worse with him than it is with an animal precisely because he has such great opportunities through the gospel!!!

It is therefore vital to go beyond yourself, and not neglect your responsibility there.

God gives abundant grace to every willing soul.