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Counsels on Stewardship
grows older, he becomes more eager than ever to acquire all that it is
possible to gain. It is natural that the covetous man should become
more covetous as he draws near the time when he is losing hold upon
all earthly things.
All this energy, this perseverance, this determination, this industry
after earthly power, is the result of the perversion of his powers to a
wrong object. Every faculty might have been cultivated to the highest
possible elevation by exercise, for the heavenly, immortal life, and for
the far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. The customs and
practices of the worldly man in his perseverance and his energies, and
in availing himself of every opportunity to add to his store, should
be a lesson to those who claim to be children of God, seeking for
glory, honor, and immortality. The children of the world are wiser in
their generation than the children of the light, and herein is seen their
wisdom. Their object is for earthly gain, and to this end they direct
all their energies. O that this zeal would characterize the toiler for
heavenly riches!—
The Review and Herald, March 1, 1887
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The Handicap of Riches
Very few realize the strength of their love for money until the test is
brought to bear upon them. Many who profess to be Christ’s followers
then show that they are unprepared for heaven. Their works testify
that they love wealth more than their neighbor or their God. Like the
rich young man, they inquire the way of life; but when it is pointed out
and the cost estimated, and they see that the sacrifice of earthly riches
is demanded, they decide that heaven costs too much. The greater the
treasures laid up on the earth, the more difficult it is for the possessor
to realize that they are not his own, but are lent him to be used to God’s
glory.
Jesus here improves the opportunity to give His disciples an im-
pressive lesson: “Then said Jesus unto His disciples, Verily I say unto
you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a
rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”