We came to be tried, to be tested, and to choose. Our decisions determine our destiny. We are "free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator, or to choose captivity and death." Those who choose the Lord's way will likely endure persecution. But their reward is certain. Those who prove faithful "shall inherit the kingdom of God, and their joy shall be full forever." Trials and tests apply to rich and poor alike. Years ago, I was asked to perform an operation upon a very wealthy man. A surgical biopsy confirmed that he had an advanced cancer that had spread throughout his body. As I reported this news, his immediate response was to rely upon his wealth. He would go anywhere or do anything to treat his condition. He thought he could buy his way back to health. But he soon passed away. Someone asked, "How much wealth did he leave?" The answer, of course, was, "All of it!" His priorities were set upon things of the world. His ladder of success had been leaning against the wrong wall. I think of him when I read this scripture: "Behold, your days of probation are past; ye have procrastinated the day of your salvation until it is too late."