“Hear this, all you people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world; Both low and high, rich and poor, together, My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.” (Psalm 49:1-3, KJV)
The coffee is good this morning, but God’s Word is bitter sweet. The Lord reminds us of the vanity of riches. God reminds us in Psalm 49 that wealth cannot purchase the salvation of a man’s soul and that in time death strips the riches away and leaves them to another. Verse 20 sums up the chapter with these words, “Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.”
When I read passages like this in God’s word, I am reminded of the need to “leave a legacy.” There is no sin in accumulated wealth, if the wealth is used correctly. There is great wisdom in leaving ones wealth to a worthy charity. I believe that every born again believer should remember a church or Christian school in their Will. Jesus teaches us in Matthew 6:20-21 “…lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust does corrupt, and where thieves do not break though nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
When you and I leave part or all of our estate to the cause of Christ by leaving it to a church or Christian school, we provide a tremendous testimony to others of our love for Christ. Susan and I have chosen to remember New Life Theological Seminary in our Will, because we want to make sure that men and women continue to be equipped to shape the world for Christ. Even when we are dead and buried, even when our memory has faded from the living, our work will continue through others who are being trained.
God is telling us that we spend our life accumulating wealth, to various degrees of success, but the person who uses that accumulation of wealth wisely is the person with understanding. With one-third of the residents within this State dying without a Will, I can only assume they had no understanding of God’s teaching of the good steward.
When your life is over, the coffee is no longer brewed and the cups are discarded, will you still be having an impact for Jesus? What one does with his or her accumulated wealth at their death, tells family and friends where their heart was truly at during their life. Christians should take serious their Lord’s full teaching on Stewardship. Let me hear your thoughts, I would love to discuss the issue with you.
2 comments:
Dr. Grigg, this devotional thought means a great deal to me. Keep up God's work and I will try to increase my support to NLTS.
Thank you "A" - I certainly encourage your faithful support of God's work at NLTS.
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