Deciding what happens to your resources

“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” Luke 12:20

The woman died alone at the age of 71. Because she had not seen a doctor recently, the coroner was called to determine the cause of her death. The verdict? Malnutrition. The little lady’s weight was only 50 pounds. Neighbors said that she had begged food from them, sometimes going door to door. The local outlet of the Salvation Army knew her. That’s where she had bought her clothes—all second-hand, of course.

Investigators who came to the place where she lived described it as a veritable pigpen – one of the biggest messes they had ever seen. One inspector said that in his entire career, he had never seen anything worse. As her belongings were searched, two keys to safe deposit vaults in different banks were found. When they were opened, blue-ribbon stock certificates were found along with over $800,000 in cash.

One of the questions that ultimately must be faced is this: For what purpose has God given me the resources I control? And how do I want what I have spent a lifetime earning to be used when I am no longer here? Jesus told a story of a man who lived as though he would never die, whom God called a fool – strong language. However, many people choose to ignore the whole issue, and by default their resources are taken by the government, or by inheritance taxes, or go to a relative they hardly knew.

Pity the poor woman who died of malnutrition alone when she had vast resources that could have been used to alleviate her suffering and make life better for many others. Equally to be pitied are those who ignore the whole issue and never plan ahead. As someone put it, “Do your giving while you are living so you are knowing where it’s going.” Good advice in any language.

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Used with permission from Guidelines International Ministries. To learn more about Guidelines and the ministry, send an e-mail to [email protected]. You may also visit www.guidelines.org.