Its prime concern is for God’s approval and so it seeks his kingdom and his righteousness, confident that all other necessary things will be added. Jesus did not hold out the rich young ruler as a symbol of success, but said: “How difficult a thing it will be for those with money to make their way into the kingdom of God!” And instead of showing us how to become rich in this world’s goods Jesus showed us how to become rich toward God.—Luke 18:24; 12:21, NW.

Rather than to gather riches on earth Christians are to lay up treasures in heaven. Said Jesus to his disciples: “If anyone wants to come after me, let him disown himself and pick up his torture stake and follow me continually. For whoever wants to save his soul will lose it; but whoever loses his soul for my sake will find it. For what benefit will it be to a man if he gains the whole world but forfeits his soul?”—Matt. 16:24-26, NW.

Those words of Jesus must have a strange ring to many professing to be Christians in view of their religious leaders’ teaching them just the opposite, namely, that by applying the principles of Christianity to one’s personal problems one can expect to realize the material good things of this life.

And finally, in view of the fact that Jesus’ great prophecy, recorded at Matthew, chapter 24, shows that we are living in the last days, comparable with Noah’s days, applied Christianity requires that we heed his instructions to flee with precipitous haste from this old system of things to the mountains, God’s new-born “land”; that we take refuge in the modern “ark,” the new system of things, and associate with its inmates, the New World society. What folly, therefore, for Christians to be concerned with popularity and success in a world doomed by God!

“Having a Form of Godly Devotion”

WHAT motive prompts our religion, our form of worship? Is it love for God, for what he is and what he has done for us? Is it done because we want to praise and honor him? Or is it based on what we hope to get out of it, because of some material benefits we hope to receive, such as being thought well of by others? Are we worshiping God with spirit and truth, or are we having only “a form of godly devotion but proving false to its power”?—2 Tim. 3:5, NW.

To deceive ourselves along this line is very easy because, as the prophet Jeremiah expressed it, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt; who can understand it?” Why should this be the case? Because original sin has caused the heart of man to be bad from his youth. That is why we are told that “folly is