Friday: Further Thought ~ Giving Back

Further Thought:

Ellen G. White wrote two chapters on this important topic of distribution of our assets. See “To (Aged and) Wealthy Parents,” in Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, Pages 116-130, and “Wills and Legacies,” in Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, Pages 476-485.

Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com

There is also a section that discusses estate planning in Counsels on Stewardship, Pages 323-335. Ellen G. White also wrote: “That which many propose to defer until they are about to die, if they were Christians indeed they would do while they have a strong hold on life. They would devote themselves and their property to God, and, while acting as His stewards, they would have the satisfaction of doing their duty. By becoming their own executors, they could meet the claims of God themselves, instead of shifting the responsibility upon others.” — Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p. 480.

What does she mean by “becoming their own executors”? In a typical will, the one making the will appoints an executor to distribute the assets following his death in harmony with his wishes as expressed in the will. By becoming your own executor, you simply distribute your assets yourself while you are living. By doing so, you will have the satisfaction of seeing the results and of knowing that you are handling God’s entrusted talents properly.

For the Christian, the second coming of Christ is the “Blessed Hope.” We all have imagined how awesome it will be to see Jesus coming in the clouds of heaven. We are eager to hear the words, “Well done.” But what if we should be laid to our rest before Jesus returns? If we have followed His revealed will, we can have the satisfaction now of seeing the work go forward because of our efforts, knowing that because of our estate plan, the work will continue after we are gone.

Discussion Questions:

Though we can lay up treasure in heaven now, why is that not the same thing as trying to earn, or even “buy,” your way to salvation?
While we should be generous in giving with what we have now, we should also be wise. How often have we heard people, particularly date-setters, make appeals for money because such and such an event is going to happen at such and such a date, and so because our money will be useless then, we’d better send it into his ministry now? How can we learn to discern between this trickery and legitimate ways that we can use our money even now for the cause of God?

<–Thursday

Amen!