Life is precious, and even its simplest form is better than death. Especially true in spiritual matters: it's better to be the least in God's kingdom than the greatest outside it. The smallest bit of grace is greater than the finest human achievement without God.

When the Holy Spirit plants divine life in a soul, it's a treasure beyond any education. The thief on the cross is greater than Caesar on his throne. Lazarus among dogs is better than Cicero among senators. An uneducated Christian is more esteemed by God than Plato. In the realm of spiritual things, life is what matters, and without it, we're dead in sin. Even if simple and rough, a sermon full of gospel life is better than the most polished talk without power.

A living dog guards better than a dead lion. So even a humble preacher, full of the Spirit, is far better than a skilled speaker with only empty words. Our prayers and religious acts, if animated by the Spirit, please God, even if they seem small to us. But grand performances without heart are just like dead lions, worth nothing before God. Better to have real cries and struggles than lifeless songs and empty calm.

Anything is better than spiritual death. Even the attacks of the enemy wake us up. But dead faith and a dead profession, what greater curse is there? Lord, bring us to life!