People have told me that, if it came down to it, they would be afraid to die for Jesus. But you know what? We are going to die anyway, so we might as well be willing to die for Jesus. At least that way we have the hope of eternal life after dying. After all, either way we still die. 

Photo by William Earnhardt

At the same time, some people don’t want to make a will because they don’t want to think about dying, but you know what? You are going to die anyway. And not making a will won’t make you live any longer. What making a will will do for you, though, is make sure your assets go where you want. 

If you wish, your local Adventist conference can assist you in making a legal will. This is a service local Adventist conferences do for their members, and while you certainly may, you don’t have to leave anything to the church, to get them to perform this service. However, I am all for leaving a legacy when I die. I hope that, when I die, people will still read my blog posts, and remember my sermons and kind words. To me, leaving such a legacy is just being a good steward of my life. Just like I want my writings and sermons to live well beyond me, I also want my resources to keep working for Jesus well beyond my days. 

When I was a child, my mother would tell me all kinds of interesting stories about her life before I was born. Now that she is resting in Jesus, I am living my life in a way to make  sure I will have all kinds of interesting stories to share with her after she awakes in the resurrection. If I fall asleep before Jesus comes, I know I will love to hear in heaven all the wonderful stories about how my money kept working for Jesus while I was sleeping. Possibly you feel the same. If you would like your local Adventist conference to help you make your will, with or without giving anything to the conference, let me help you get started by sharing a link. Again, not making a will won’t make you live any longer. Making a will makes sure your money goes where you want it to. When you are ready, just click on this link to find a local Adventist estate planning representative. The sooner you get this taken care of, the sooner you can just go back to enjoying the rest of your life, with peace of mind. 

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In Old Testament times, many of the children of Israel were farmers and shepherds. Thus some of God’s promised blessings were couched in farm language. For example, in Proverbs 3:9-10, , God says that if we are financially faithful with Him, our “barns will be filled with plenty” (NKJV). It is likely that many Christians don’t have a barn today. So, we understand that God will bless our work or business if we are willing to follow and obey Him.

Read Proverbs 27:23-27. How would you interpret “Be diligent to know the state of your flocks” (NKJV) for Christians living today?

Image © Jim Howard at Goodsalt.com

However much the Bible warns against the rich trampling on the poor, or being greedy with their wealth, Scripture never condemns wealth or people’s efforts to acquire wealth, provided of course they don’t do it dishonestly or through oppressing others. In fact, the texts for today, in Proverbs, indicate that we should be diligent in our financial affairs in order that we may have enough for ourselves and our family. “You shall have enough goats’ milk for your food, for the food of your household, and the nourishment of your maidservants” (Proverbs 27:27, NKJV).

How would we rephrase that verse for today? Maybe we would suggest, “Review your financial records and determine the state of your affairs.” Or “Do a balance sheet and understand your debt-to-equity ratio.” From time to time during your earning years, it would be appropriate to review your will or other documents and your present assets and update them as necessary. Documents such as wills and trusts are put in place early in the estate planning process in order to be a protection against untimely death, or of not being able for health reasons to decide about where your assets should go. The idea is to plan ahead for what will happen to your possessions once they are no longer yours.

In short, good stewardship of what God has blessed us with doesn’t deal only with what we have while alive but also with what happens after we are gone — because, unless the Lord returns in our lifetime, we will one day be gone while our material possessions, whether a little or a lot, will remain behind. Hence, it is up to us now to make provisions so that what we have been blessed with can be a blessing to others and for the furtherance of God’s work.

<–Monday Wednesday–>

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“MANAGING FOR THE MASTER Till He Comes” will show us that 
God Is Working His Purpose Out – Hymn 225 in all we do and say. May we be encouraged by this hymn for this quarter and that 
In Our Work And In Our Play – Hymn 591 we will work until Jesus comes. Hence, a choice of theme hymns for this quarter.

Giving back is something we need to work on by looking 
In The Heart Of Jesus – Hymn 577 to be able to see and copy the best ways. It is then that we will be able to ask 
Live Out Thy Life Within Me – Hymn 316 to make a difference to all around us – with God’s abundant help. This is seen in Sunday’s study time where we will be enabled to be the opposite of The Rich Fool. We are encouraged to say 
All To Jesus I Surrender – Hymn 309 throughout this week. Sunday ends with us being encouraged to “watch but continue working”:  
Hymn 598 – Watch, Ye Saints.

“Because God is the Owner of everything (see Ps. 24:1)” on Monday, we know that 
God Will Take Care Of You – Hymn 99. “I will do my best, and God will do the rest”, is my favourite reminder in everything to be done on this old earth. This is echoed in being a good steward for our gracious God, being a blessing to others, and furthering God’s work (Tuesday’s conclusion paragraph).

Wednesday encourages us to trust the awesome God of our universe: 
Hymn 279 – Only Trust Him, Hymn 510 –
If You Trust In God To Guide You and 
Hymn 590 – Trust and Obey.

We are able to “return the rest to Him” (Thursday): 
Hymn 572 – Give Of Your Best To The Master because “He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, the wealth in every mine . . . . and I know that He cares for me” says Ps 50:10 and is then written in a song by John W. Peterson.

The final encouraging words on Friday are also found in 
Hymn 375 – Work For The Night Is Coming and 
Hymn 576 – Awake, Awake To Love And Work.

Today, and every day, we look forward to Jesus coming again. Oh, what a day that will be 
When We All Get To Heaven – Hymn 633 because 
That Glorious Day Is Coming – Hymn 209.

To learn unknown hymns, you will find the accompaniment music for each one at: https://sdahymnals.com/Hymnal/

Another great resource is for when there is a hymn you wish to sing but can’t find it in your hymnal. Go to https://www.sdahymnal.org/Search and in the search bar type a special word in that is in the hymn. I am sure you will be amazed at the help you will be given.

 2 Timothy 2:15 KJV – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

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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.

Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com

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.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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Read Luke 12:16-21. What’s the relevant message to us here? What strong rebuke did the Lord give to the foolish man, and what should that say to us regarding our attitude toward what we own?

Though the message is broader than this, one could argue that this was a story Jesus told about what not to do in retirement. Accordingly, if a person is quitting work to spend his accumulated assets on himself, he should beware and take this story to heart.

Image © Standard Publishing from GoodSalt.com

The problem is not with working hard or getting wealth, particularly as one gets older and, perhaps, even richer. The problem is with the attitude toward it. His words — “take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry” (Luke 12:19, NKJV) — express the real issue here.

“This man’s aims were no higher than those of the beasts that perish. He lived as if there were no God, no heaven, no future life; as if everything he possessed were his own, and he owed nothing to God or man.” — Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, Pages 257, 258.

If, during this stage of life, we think only of ourselves and ignore the needs of others and the cause of God, we are following the example of the rich fool. There was no indication in Jesus’ parable that the rich man was lazy or dishonest. The problem was in how he spent what God had entrusted to him. Because we don’t know the day of our death, we should always be ready for it by living to carry out God’s will instead of pursuing a life of selfishness.

The general picture given in the Bible is that a person works and remains productive as long as he or she is able. In fact, it is interesting to note that the authors of the great prophetic books of Daniel and the Revelation were, many believe, both in their 80s when they completed their work. This was at a time when the average age at death was about 50 years. Ellen G. White published some of her best-known and best-loved books, such as The Desire of Ages, after about age 70. Age, then, as long as we are healthy, should not mean that we stop being productive and, to whatever extent possible, doing some good.

Jesus counseled those waiting for His Second Coming not just to watch but to continue working as well (Matthew 24:44-46).

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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