THE PRICE OF RECKLESSNESS
«A wise man fears and departs from evil, but a fool rages and is self-confident»
(Proverbs 14:16).
Princess Margaret of Angouléme (1492-1549) •was sympathetic to the cause of reform in France. Her love for the gospel led her to courageously protect those who professed biblical truths. Not satisfied with that, she decided that the time had come for the ideas of reform to be preached in Paris. During an absence of the king, Francis i (1494-1547), she ordered that a Protestant minister preach in the temples of the city and, in finding strong opposition among the dignitaries of the pope, decided to open the doors of the palace to carry out her work. The royal halls became chapels and it was announced that the Word of God would be preached at certain times, inviting all kinds of people, without distinction of class. Multitudes came to the palace to hear powerful sermons based on the Bible.
When the king learned of what was happening, far from banning it, he appointed Ovo churches in the city for this kind of worship to continue. The clergy reacted angrily to what was happening and recriminated the monarch in vain for his attitude. But Francis stood fast in his position and for two years the gospel was preached in Paris.
But in 1534, in their desire for the ideas of reform to spread as in Germany and Switzerland, the French reformers put up posters all over France on the same night in which the mass was attacked. However, the consequences were devastating to the cause of reform. It was just the pretext that their enemies needed to accuse them of being dangerous heretics and disturbers of the stability of the crown and social peace. Someone even dared to place one of the posters on the door of the monarch’s bedroom, who was horrified at such a daring thing and reacted with enormous indignation. That was the end of the support for the reformers. The king ordered draconian measures against any person suspected of following Martin Luther’s ideas. There were all kinds of abuses and they erected scaffolds where a good number of martyrs burned at the stake—The Great Controversy, ch. 12, pp. 214-219. They say that the way to hell is full of good intentions. The truth is that you have to learn to be cautious and not to act in a challenging way, especially with those who have authority. A carelessness can cause things to change in the blink of an eye, immediately putting an end to the advantages we had and placing us under terrible scenarios.
Ask the Lord today to help you to be prudent with those who have authority over you.
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Take From: Daily Devotions for Youth 2020
«A New You»
From: Alejandro Medina Villareal
Collaborators: Gezer Noria & Misael Morillo