2 John 1:8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have worked, but that we receive a full reward. This is a glorious subject! Looking after our own interest; looking after Number One! It is a motto most men believe in. Never mind about anybody else, at any rate till your own turn is served. "Men will praise thee when thou doest well to thyself." What will God do? Lot was a man who believed in looking after himself. His uncle Abraham and himself were large farmers, their herds pasturing together. The grass and water supply was scarcely sufficient for all, and as a result there were frequent quarrels between their herdmen. What was the result of Lot's self-care? It left him poor indeed; his property was burnt in Sodom; his wife became a pillar of salt upon the plain! Gehazi was another man who believed in looking after his own interest. A lie is soon framed, carried out; Gehazi is enriched, and his spoil safely under lock and key. What then? Judas also firmly believed in looking after Number One. The rich farmer held the same doctrine about self-care. They were his grounds that brought forth so plentifully. Dives quite believed in taking every care of himself. Listen to what Jesus Christ will one day say to men who have done nothing but study their own interest — "I was hungry, ye gave Me no meat," etc. Remember Jesus Christ, our great Example, came not to study His own interest, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many. 1. Christian men, look to your selves. See that ye walk worthy of your high vocation, as becometh sons of God; that ye let your light shine before men; that ye obey Jesus Christ's commandments. 2. Unconverted men, look to yourselves. You have a priceless treasure; your soul. "What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Your body and its interests, what you call Number One, is really Number Two: the soul is most important. It may be, you have insured your house, and your life, against fire, accident, or death. What have you done for your soul? Look to yourselves. (1) You have tremendous responsibilities. God has given His Son to die for you. Look to yourselves. (2) You are running terrible risk out of Christ. Life is uncertain; with it ends the day of grace. Look to yourselves. (3) Don't expect that some day some extraordinary influence will be brought to bear upon you, and that you will be suddenly anxious for salvation. (G. B. Foster.) Parallel Verses KJV: Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. |
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