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Testimonies for the Church Volume 9
My brethren and sisters, do not spend a large amount of time
and money on self, for the sake of appearance. Those who do this
are obliged to leave undone many things that would have comforted
others, sending a warm glow to their weary spirits. We all need
to learn how to improve faithfully the opportunities that so often
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come to us to bring light and hope into the lives of others. How
can we improve these opportunities if our thoughts are centered on
self? He who is self-centered loses countless opportunities for doing
that which would have brought blessing to himself and others. It is
the duty of the servant of Christ, under every circumstance, to ask
himself, What can I do to help others? Having done his best, he is
to leave the consequences with God.
God has provided for everyone pleasure that may be enjoyed by
rich and poor alike—the pleasure found in cultivating pureness of
thought and unselfishness of action, the pleasure that comes from
speaking sympathizing words and doing kindly deeds. From those
who perform such service, the light of Christ shines to brighten lives
darkened by many sorrows.
The temptation may come to you to invest your money in land.
Perhaps your children will advise you to do this. But can you not
show a better way? Has not your money been entrusted to you to be
traded upon wisely, and put out to usury, that when the Lord comes,
He may find the talents doubled? Can you not see that He wants
you to use your means in helping to build meeting houses and to
establish sanitariums?
We need now to esteem souls above money. If you know of a
higher work in this world than the work of soulsaving, a work which
will bring better results for the investment of means, will you not
tell us of it, that we may measure its value?
I fear that many of our people do not realize the importance of
God’s work. One to whom I wrote for money answered thus: “I
received your letter asking me to lend you some money. But there
was a piece of land that the children thought it advisable for me to
purchase, and I have invested my spare means in this land.” How
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much better would it have been for this brother to invest his money
in establishing sanitariums, in which witness is borne to the truth for
this time, or in schools, which will provide for our youth the best