Someone once asked famous evangelist Billy Graham what surprised him most about life, now that he was old (Graham was in his 60s at the time). Graham’s answer? “The brevity of it.”
No question, life does go by quickly.
What do the following texts teach about human life here? Psalm 49:17; 1 Timothy 6:6-7; Psalm 39:11; James 4:14; Eccles. 2:18-22.
Not only does life go by quickly, but when you die, you take nothing with you, at least of the material goods that you have accumulated. (Character? That’s another story.) “For when he dies he shall carry nothing away” (Psalm 49:17, NKJV), which means that he or she leaves it behind for someone else to get. Who will get it, of course, depends upon what plans are made beforehand.
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Though, of course, not everyone has an estate per se, most people, particularly as they have worked through the years, have accumulated some wealth. In the end, what will happen to that wealth after you pass on is really an important question that people should consider.
For those who have possessions at the end of life, no matter how great or small our goods might be, estate planning can be our final act of stewardship, of carefully managing what God has blessed us with. If you don’t have an estate plan that you have created with a will or trust, the state’s or civil government’s laws can come into play (all this depends, of course, on where you live). If you die without a will, most civil jurisdictions simply pass your assets on to your relatives, whether they need them or not, whether or not they would make good use of the money, and whether or not you would have chosen to give a portion to that person. The church will get nothing. If that’s what you want, fine; if not, you need to work out plans beforehand.
In the very simplest terms, we can say that because God is the Owner of everything (see Psalm 24:1), it would be logical to conclude from a biblical perspective that when we are finished with what God has entrusted to us, we should return to Him, the rightful Owner, what is left, once the needs of loved ones are met.
| Death, as we know, can come at any time, and unexpectedly, too, even today. What would happen to your loved ones were you to die today? What, too, would happen to your property? Would it be distributed as you would like? |
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