p. 71 | A Poor Man’s Wish

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 14, 1871

A Poor Man’s Wish.

I asked a student what three things he most wished. He said, “Give me books, health, and quiet, and I care for nothing more.”

I asked a pauper, and he faintly said, “Bread, bread, bread!”

I asked a drunkard, and he loudly called for strong drink.

I asked the multitude around me, and they lifted up a confused cry, in which I heard the words, “Wealth, fame, and pleasure.”

I asked a poor man who had long borne the character of an experienced Christian. He replied that all his wishes might be met in Christ. He spoke seriously, and I asked him to explain. He said, “I greatly desire three things: first, that I may be found in Christ; secondly, that I may be like Christ; thirdly, that I may be with Christ.”

I have thought much of his answer, and the more I think of it the wiser it seems.