Many people allow their wealth to define who they are, but God looks on us all equally; and furthermore he knows our hearts and minds.
When we die we leave it all behind – we take none of what we own with us. In Romans 12:2, Paul encourages us to be transformed by the renewing our mind, and in 1 John 2:15-17 we are reminded not to, “love the world or anything in the world…. For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of the eyes and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”
Living life with an eye eternity
As Christians we have an opportunity to live life today knowing that eternity is our destiny tomorrow.
2 Peter 3: 8 reminds us that in God’s calendar a thousand years are like but a day, so in God’s scheme of things it is just over two days since our Saviour rose from the grave.
Living with an eternal perspective can set us free from earthly worries, wealth and desires, so that we can serve God and do His will. Living in God’s will for our lives will enable us to live a life that produces fruit and build the Kingdom of God.
Modernity promotes acquisitive and material habits. Look around you and ask what would not have been in a household like yours fifty years ago. Look at the car(s) in the garage that might not have been there, or at the technology in the living room. There is an army of over a million people seeking to sell us products and services that ‘we need’ or ‘because you’re worth it.’
The apostle Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 6:8, “But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that” but for the most part our society operates on the assumption that possessions equal happiness and that more is always better. Could we renew our minds by leaving behind thoughts of acquiring more possessions, and perhaps forgoing some of the products and experiences that media messages seek to persuade us that we need?
Seeking the Kingdom of God
Matthew encourages believers to, “seek first his Kingdom and all these things [the necessities of life] will be given to you as well.” In a world that seeks to marginalise God, or even shut Him out, even believers can find themselves reaching out for what the world has to offer and that society says is necessary. Many people acquire goods they do not really need with money they do not have and then find it a struggle to pay or maintain what they have acquired.
“My soul, rest happy in thy low estate,
Nor hope nor wish to be esteemed or great;
To take the imprint of the Will Divine,
Be that thy glory, and those riches thine.”
I have found that it is possible to embark on a journey – and I stress it is a journey I am still on – to distance myself from what I own and have saved and regard it dispassionately. When markets and interest rates go down, I remain secure in the knowledge that it is God in whom I trust, and my faith is in God’s economy and the certainty of knowing that He is my Provider and Father who loves me. As I know that ‘tomorrow’ I will be in heaven, I know that all I have belongs to Him and embracing that knowledge serves to change my heart, my life, my all.
Investing in the extended family
Then, having followed His Word and left an inheritance for my children and grandchildren and special bequests for those who have been close to me, I wonder what should I do with the rest? I have received little by way of inheritances and have worked hard for what I have. I have looked after my children, who are all now adults and financially independent. I am helping my grandchildren, my church, the poor and so on.
The fact is that many people do not have a Will. As a professional adviser I can say that of the hundreds of people I have advised many came to me either with no Will at all or with one that no longer reflected their wishes. One day I looked in the mirror and remembered the advice I had given to my clients about keeping their Will up-to-date and decided it was time to update mine.
“Then rise my soul and soar away,
Above the thoughtless crowd;
Above the pleasures of the day,
And splendours of the proud;
Up where eternal beauties bloom,
And pleasures all divine;
Where wealth, that never can consume,
And endless glories shine”
Nearly all the advisers on estate planning and Wills that I know expect to see a Will drawn up that leaves the residue of the estate in equal portions to the remaining children. But I started to think about adding my godly understanding of how to leave it all behind, and as I turned to Luke 16:9 I read about an investment that seems to have a compelling return! As Jesus himself said, “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves [in heaven], so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” And later (v13), “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
Investing in the Kingdom
I realise that having taken care of others in my Will, I now have an opportunity to return to my Maker what belongs to Him. What could the resources that are locked up in Christians' savings accounts do, if they were released today to advance the cause of the kingdom?
Whatever you may think, there is an unprecedented cascade of wealth passing down from the baby boomer generation – and I encourage you to pray about giving more back to Him, for that surely is what we should do. What you cannot give in life, why not give in death? You have worked hard for what you have; now let it continue to work hard to save those who follow you, so they that may hear the good news of salvation.