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Most Costly Is Cheapest
T
he most costly nonspecialty
automobile is the Rolls-Royce. In
early 1962
1
bought one in
London.
1
was spending probably
more t ime in England t hen, because of the
English campus of Ambassador College,
than at Pasadena.
1
paid .fll,OOO for it. Extravagance?
Perhaps sorne though t so, but it was the least
expensive car 1 ever owned. Now, after using
it for nearly 20 years,
J
sold it for f14,000.
Most people seem to think whatever costs less is
the better value. Tbat is not true of material goods,
nor of spiritual values. 1 have always believed in
conscientious quality, whether in material
commodities or character values.
When 1 was a boy of
19,
l was sent by a big lumber
company to be timekeeper and paymaster in its
lumber mili in southern Mississippi.
lt
was my first
trip of any distance away from home in Des Moines,
lowa. The vice president of the lumber company
called me to his office to give me sorne sound advice
as a young man startíng out in life.
That was in January,
191
l. Of course travel then
was primarily by train. Always, he advised, when
possible travel by Pullman car.
It
would be cheaper in
the long run. It would put me in the company of a
better class of people.
lt
would be safer.
lt
would be
cleaner. Always, unless one could not afford it, stay,
in traveling, at the leading or best hotel in any city. If
necessary to economize, ask for a lower-priced room.
But the same advantage obtained as on trains. We are
inRuenced by every person with whom we come in
contact.
1
have since traveled on daycoaches, and
stayed in second-class hotels- but only when I could
not afford better. This millionaire did advise me, also,
to live within my means. l f
1
couldn't afford the best,
take what
1
could afford, but st r ive to succeed and get
to be able to afford the best.
When Ambassador College was built in
October / November 1981
Pasadena, it was indeed a financia] struggle. I did
not go beyond what we cou ld afford. But, as God· -
made it possible,
1
did try to build the
BEST!
You
see,
l
was not really building this college. Christ
1N
me was. I was merely His instrument. But
1
knew that whatever God did, it was written of it,
"God saw everything that he had made, and
behold, it was
VERY GOOD."
God believes whatever we do should be the best
possible. But as Christ's instrument , I knew J esus
said we should not start to build something without
enough to finish it.
1
saw how King David had
wanted to build a temple for God's worship.
It
was
to be the finest building on earth, and would cost
today billions of dollars.
1
wanted to build at
Pasadena an auditorium at the present headquarters
of God's Work. I didn't think God would want a
building here even remotely as costly as Solomon's
temple at Jerusalem.
It
would not be a really large
auditorium, but one seating
1
,250. But 1 did want
it, and believed Christ
IN
me wanted it to be the
FI NEST
in character and quality.
J prayed about it. I wanted God's direction .
J
knew He would not have built here a building of
inferior or cheap quality.
J
also knew He would not
be building it through me if there was not enough
money to complete it. I asked , if He wanted me to
proceed, to provide in advance assured finances to
complete it. I refused to start it until God had
supplied complete financing .
1
did proceed with
architects' plans and specifications.
1
found it was
going to cost $11 mill ion. That seemed impossible,
even beyond providential provision . Nevertheless,
1
refused to proceed without being provided financia!
ability to complete it.
T
had to wait two years.
Then the miracle happened. God provided 100
percent financing. It seemed an unheard-of and
unprecedented thing, for banks and insurance
companies do not provide such financing for
churcbes or colleges. Yet God provided 100 percent
financing before 1, shovel in hand, broke ground.
The Ambassador
(Continued on page 43)