Chapter 57—Words to the Youth
Much might be said to the young people regarding their privilege to
help the cause of God by learning lessons of economy and self-denial.
Many think that they must indulge in this pleasure and that, and in
order to do this, they accustom themselves to live up to the full extent
of their income. God wants us to do better in this respect. We sin
against ourselves when we are satisfied with enough to eat and drink
and wear. God has something higher than this before us. When we are
willing to put away our selfish desires, and give the powers of heart
and mind to the work of the cause of God, heavenly agencies will
cooperate with us, making us a blessing to humanity.
Even though he may be poor, the youth who is industrious and
economical can save a little for the cause of God. When I was only
twelve years old, I knew what it was to economize. With my sister I
learned a trade, and although we would earn only twenty-five cents a
day, from this sum we were able to save a little to give to missions. We
saved little by little until we had thirty dollars. Then when the message
of the Lord’s soon coming came to us, with a call for men and means,
we felt it a privilege to hand over the thirty dollars to father, asking
him to invest it in tracts and pamphlets to send the message to those
who were in darkness.
It is the duty of all who touch the work of God to learn economy
in the use of time and money. Those who indulge in idleness reveal
that they attach little importance to the glorious truths committed to us.
They need to be educated in habits of industry, and to learn to work
with an eye single to the glory of God.
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Deny Self and Improve Talent
Those who have not good judgment in the use of time and money,
should advise with those who have had experience. With the money
that we had earned at our trade, my sister and I provided ourselves
with clothes. We would hand our money to mother, saying, “Buy, so
that after we have paid for our clothes, there will be something left to
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