God is displeased with the slack, loose manner in which many of His professed people conduct their worldly business. They seem to have lost all sense of the fact that the property they are using belongs to God, and that they must render to Him an account of their stewardship. Some leave their worldly business in perfect confusion. Satan has his eye on it all, and he strikes at a favorable opportunity, and by his management takes much means out of the ranks of Sabbathkeepers. And this means goes into his ranks. Some who are aged are unwilling to make any settlement of their worldly business, and in an unexpected moment they sicken and die. Their children who have no interest in the truth, take the property. Satan has managed it as suited him. “If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?” {1T 199.1}

Den slappe, tilfældige måde, hvorpå mange iblandt hans bekendende folk udfører deres jordiske beskæftigelse, mishager Gud. De synes at have tabt al sans for den kendsgerning, at det gods, de benytter, tilhører Gud og at de må gøre regnskab for ham i deres husholdning. Nogle efterlader deres timelige anliggender i fuldstændig forvirring. Satan holder øje med det alt sammen og ved en gunstig anledning slår ham til og borttager ved sin ledelse mange midler fra sabbatholdernes rækker. Og disse midler tilflyder hans rækker. Nogle, som er blevet gamle, er uvillige til at træffe nogen ordning ned deres timelige forretning og i et uventet øjeblik bliver de syge og dør. Deres børn, der ikke har nogen interesse for sandheden, overtager formuen. Satan har styret det, som det passede ham. »Hvis I altså ikke har været tro med den uretfærdige mammon, hvem vil så betro jer dem rette? Og hvis I ikke har været tro med det, som tilhørte andre, hvem vil så give jer noget at eje selv?"