Ellen Gould White
What does Ellen White write about...
Ellen Gould White über: "Gathering possessions"
Answer
The gathering of worldly goods stands in direct contradiction to the belief in the imminent return of Christ, because it shows that the heart is attached to the earth rather than to the heavenly inheritance. Instead of amassing treasures on earth, believers should use their resources to support God's work and help the needy. True followers of Christ transform their earthly possessions into heavenly treasures by practicing self‑less charity and recognizing God as the true owner of all things.
The Danger of Accumulating Earthly Treasures
»I was shown that God's people, who profess to believe the present truth, are not in a waiting, watchful position. They increase their wealth and gather their treasures on earth. They become rich in worldly things, but not rich before God. They do not believe in the brevity of time. ... They add house upon house and land upon land and are citizens of this world. ... If they possessed genuine faith, they would, instead of increasing their treasures on earth, sell, free themselves from the burdensome things of earth, and transfer their treasure ahead of them into heaven.«
Systematic Charity as a Remedy to Greed
»The system of charity was introduced to prevent the great evil of greed. Christ saw that in the conduct of business, love of wealth would be the greatest cause of displacing true godliness from the heart. ... Steadfast, self‑denying charity is God's remedy for the devouring sins of selfishness and greed. ... Systematic charity, in God's order, is intended to strip the greedy of the treasures once they have been obtained and consecrate them to the Lord to whom they belong.«
Responsibility of God's Stewards
»God has entrusted His treasures to stewards so that they may advance His work with them and glorify His name. He has not entrusted these treasures to people for them to use them to elevate and glorify themselves or to wield power to oppress the poor with earthly riches. ... Many have hung their hearts so tightly on their earthly treasure that they fail to see the advantage of gathering treasures in heaven. They do not understand that their voluntary offerings to God do not enrich Him, but themselves.«
The Paralyzing Power of Love of Wealth
»The power of love of wealth over the human spirit is almost paralyzing. Riches enchant many and cause them to act as if they were deprived of reason. The more they have of this world, the more they desire. Their fear of falling into need grows with their wealth. They tend to hoard resources for the future. They are stingy and selfish and fear that God will not provide for their future needs.«
Securing True Treasures in Heaven
»Christ points the way for those who possess worldly wealth yet are not rich before God to secure the true riches. He says: Transfer what you have, give alms, and store up treasures in heaven. The remedy He proposes for the rich is a transfer of their affection from earthly riches to the eternal inheritance. By investing their resources in God's work to contribute to the salvation of souls, and by blessing the needy with their means, they become rich in good works.«
Original Sources (English)
Stephan Krol
Founder of EGW Vision
Why I built EGW Vision
Hello, I am Stephan Krol. I started this Ellen White website to make the writings of Ellen G. White and the Adventist pioneers easier to access for everyone.
EGW Vision helps you find topics, statements, and quotes faster, especially when many original sources are not yet fully available in your language. The tool searches semantically, groups relevant content by topic, and presents matching results as clearly as possible in your language.
My hope is that this tool supports personal Bible study, strengthens trust in the original sources, and helps more people discover the message of these writings with clarity, depth, and joy.
