Sometime ago there was a…up here in Indiana, there was two boys that was raised out on a farm. And they were just as poor as poor could be, farmer boys. And they grew up together. And, one day, one of them got married. A few days afterwards, the other one got married.

And one of them went into the city, to live. And he had begin to play the stock markets, got away from his childhood Teaching, went into the wrong thing. And he played them, and he got richer and richer, till finally he become a multimillionaire. And he moved up into Chicago, and got on one of the great streets and built himself a palace. Him and his wife run to night clubs, and they drank cocktails, and they laid out, all night. They had butlers and everything, to furnish them anything that they wanted. And they thought they were really living.

But a man that lives like that has no peace. There is no peace to a troubled heart. To a sinful heart, there cannot be peace. If a man longs to drink, and he calls that “life,” he thinks he's having a big time, it shows his emptiness. Take a man, make a million dollars, he wants two. Take a man that goes to a party and drinks one drink, tonight, he wants another. Take a man, lives untrue to his wife, once, he'll live it again; vice versa. See, it's something, and he never satisfied. Might have a million dollars in his hand, or ten million in his hand; he lays down at night, with a drunken stew on him; he wakes up, the next morning, haunted, nightmare, troubled mind. You call that peace? That's no peace.

But a man might not even have a pillow to press his head to, he might not even own a decent pair of shoes, or able to have a decent meal in his house; but if God reigns in his heart, he goes to bed happy and wakes up happy. It's a lasting peace. It's something that God does.

This fellow had forgot that Teaching. He went to gambling. It come Christmas time. He thought of his buddy, so he wrote him a letter. One of them's name was Jim, the rich man, and John was the poor one. And he wrote him a letter, and he said, “John, I wish you'd come up to see me, through the holidays. I'd like to meet you, talk with you again. I haven't seen you for many years.”

Wrote him back, said, “I'd like to come, Jim, but I can't come. I haven't got the money, to come.”

A check come in the mail, in a few days, said, “Come on! I want you to come, anyhow.” So John got ready, country boy, put on a good clean pair of overalls, and his kady hat, and—and little coat of a different color, and boarded the train.

And when he got there, there was a chauffeur sitting there, to meet him, with a big limousine. He didn't know how to act. He got in this limousine, holding his hat in his hand, looking around. Drove up to a great palace, in Chicago.

Got out and went up to the door, and rung the bell. And out come a butler, said, “Your card, please, sir.” He didn't know what he was talking to. He handed him his hat. He was…He didn't know nothing about no reception card. He didn't have much of this world's good. He said, “I want your card.”

He said, “I don't know what you're talking about, sir.” Said, “Jim sent for me to come. That's all I know.”

So he went back and told his partner, who hadn't got out of bed yet. He said, “There's a funny-looking man standing at the door.” Said, “He's dressed…I never seen a man dressed like him. And he said Jim sent him.”

He said, “Tell him, ‘Come on in.’”

He slipped on his bathrobe, went down the hall and met this old country friend of his, and shook his hand. Said, “John, you don't know how glad I am to see you!”

And the old country fellow standing, looking around in the room, said, “Jim, you sure have got plenty.”

He said, “I want to show you around.” He took him upstairs, and out on the sun porch, opened up the window.

Said, “Where is Martha?”

“Oh,” said, “she hasn't come in yet. She was out, last night.”

Said, “Uh, how you all getting along?”

Said, “Oh, not much. John, how are you and Katie getting along?”

Said, “Just fine.”

Said, “Oh, is she home?”

Said, “Yes, we got seven kids.” Said, “You all got any children?”

Said, “No, Martha wouldn't have any.” Said, “She thought we'd better not have any children; interferes with the social life. You know,” raised back the curtains, he said, “looky here.” Said, “You see that bank over yonder?”

He said, “Yes.”

Said, “I'm the president in that bank.” Said, “You see that railroad company?”

“Yes.”

Said, “I've got a million dollars worth of the shares in that.”

And he looked down there, and he seen the great gardens, and everything, how beautiful it looked. And old John stood there with his straw cap in his hand, looking around. He said, “That's fine, Jim. I sure thankful that you've got it.” Said, “Me and Katie ain't got much.” Said, “We still live in that little old split-shingle house down there.” And said, “We don't have very much, but we're awful happy.”

Just then a bunch of carol singers, their voices begin to come in.

Jim turned and looked at John; John looked up to Jim. Said, “John, I want to ask you something.” Said, “You remember when we was boys? And we used to go to that little, old red church down there on the side of the road, and we'd hear them old country choirs sing them songs?”

Said, “Yes.”

Said, “You still go down there?”

Said, “Yes, I still belong there.” Said, “I'm a deacon down there now.” Said, “What about you, Jim?” Said, “You was talking about how much you own down here.” Said, “How much do you own up This way?”

He said, “Yes.”

“John, I'm sorry,” said, “I don't own nothing up That way.” Said, “Remember, just before Christmas one year, we didn't have any shoes?” And said, “We was more interested in getting some firecrackers for Christmas.” And said, “We went out and set some box traps, to catch some rabbits, to get some firecrackers for Christmas.” Said, “You remember that morning that big old wood's rabbit was in that box trap of yours?”

John said, “Yes, I remember.”

“You would get some firecrackers. And you went and got some, divide it with me.”

He said, “Yes.”

Said, “John, I'll divide anything I got, with you. But one thing I wish you could divide to me.” Said, “I'd give everything I own, if I could walk that little old dusty road, barefooted, up to that little old church again, and feel that Presence of the living God, when that choir was singing, the old-fashioned country preacher was preaching.” Said, “I'd give anything. I'd give all that I own, every share in the railroad, and all the parts of the bank, and this home, and all, if I could turn back again and have that blessed peace that I had when I went up that old road.”

Old John took, put his arms around him. He said, “There was three wise men, rich men who came and laid it all at the feet of Jesus one time, as a Baby,” and said, “they received pardoning of their sin.” He said, “I'd, although I'd…I think that you are wonderful, Jim, in what you've been blessed to do, all these things. But I'd rather have my wife and seven children, living down there on straw ticks, to sleep on, then have the peace that's in my heart, than to have all your riches, Jim, that you could have.”

And that's right, friends. Riches is not measured out by dollars. Riches is not measured out by big names and popularity. Riches is when the Kingdom of God has come into the human heart, changed his emotion and made him a new creature in Christ Jesus, and give him Eternal Life. That's the richest thing on earth.