It is not what we make that makes us rich, but what we give. We are rich or poor, not according to what we have, but according to what we are. Do not turn to your bank account or your broad acres to see what you are worth. Look into your character…and now I would like to share a story with you guys.

A very rich man died. One neighbor asked another how much the deceased had left behind. The answer was, “He has left all.” Sad indeed when a dying man is leaving all behind. Which would you rather be, Dives, leaving all behind, or Lazarus, going to all? If you say you would rather be like Lazarus, then let there be a daily proof of it in your life. Two men had lived beside each other for years. One was a man who sought and gained the riches of the world. The other was a man who sought the kingdom of God and His righteousness. These men were both brought down upon their dying beds the same week. When the rich man was spoken to concerning the future of himself and his neighbor, he said, “I am leaving my treasures, but my neighbor is going to his. Many times I thought him very unwise in giving so much in support of his religion, but when a man comes down on his dying bed, he can see the folly of storing up riches here. I am leaving all I have lived for. My neighbor is going to what he has lived for.” Why leave so much behind to be destroyed when this world is burning? We can be assured of this one thing; everything you do out of sincere love to God ennobles your soul and gives you a greater capacity for enjoying heaven.