Question:If you were asked whether parents should leave a million dollar estate to be divided between their healthy working adult children, what would you say (or ask)?

Inheritances

Inherited wealth is as certain a death to ambition as cocaine is to morality.

Cornelius Vanderbilt

Fortunes tend to self-destruction by destroying those who inherit them.

Henry Ford

The almighty dollar bequeathed to a child is an almighty curse. No man has the right to handicap his son with such a burden as great wealth. He must face this question squarely: will my fortune be safe with my boy AND will my boy be safe with my fortune?

Andrew Carnegie

Your fortune is rolling up, rolling up like an avalanche! You must distribute it faster than it grows! If you do not, it will crush you, and your children, and your children’s children.

Frederick T. Gates,John D. Rockefeller Sr.’s advisor

A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children.

Proverbs 13:22

An inheritance quickly gained at the beginning will not be blessed at the end.

Proverbs 20:21

Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.

Luke 16:10

If you wish to leave much wealth to your children, leave them in God’s care. Do not leave them riches, but virtue and skill. For if they have the confidence of riches, they will not mind anything besides, for they shall have the means of screening the wickedness of their ways in their abundant riches.

John Chrysostom, AD 390

If your investment manager died, what would you think if he left your money to his children?

Whose money is it? Children who would resent their parents giving God’s money to God’s kingdom would not handle that money well.

If God entrusted His money to me, doesn’t that indicate He wants me to invest most of it where there is too little rather than too much? Where it can help rather than do damage?

Inheritance or Heritage?

Family Conference about Inheritance

Is Leaving Money the Same as Giving Money?

It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.

Hebrews 9:27, NKJV

I will not take for the Lord what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing.

1 Chronicles 21:24

And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.

Matthew 19:29

Training our Children

Question:What can parents and

grandparents do to train children how to be

1) good stewards?2) radically generous givers?

“It would have made a dreadfully ugly child: but it makes a rather handsome pig, I think.” And she began thinking over other children she knew, who might do very well as pigs.

Lewis Carroll,Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

There are only three ways to teach a child. The first is by example, the second is by example, and the third is by example. Albert Schweitzer

For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ But you say that if a man says to his father or mother: ‘Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban’ (that is, a gift devoted to God), then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother.

Mark 7:10-12

If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever…If any woman who is a believer has widows in her family, she should help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the church can help those widows who are really in need.

1 Timothy 5:8, 16

Teaching Your Children about Money

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Proverbs 22:6

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9

Since everything will be destroyed in this way…You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God…That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. So we are looking forward to a new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

2 Peter 3:11-13 Family Field Trip to the Dump

Raising Stewards and Givers

Teach them to your children and to their children after them.

Deuteronomy 4:9

I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just.

Genesis 18:19

Psalm 78 What we have heard and known,

what our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done. He decreed statutes…and established the law…

which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.

Psalm 78:3-7

Bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Ephesians 6:4

The less I spent on myself and the more I gave to others, the fuller of happiness and blessing did my soul become.

Hudson Taylor

Teaching Children Self-Control

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23

Titus 2 You must teach what is in

accord with sound doctrine. Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.

Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine…Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure…so that no one will malign the word of God.

Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity…that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us…. so that in every way they [slaves] will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.

Titus 2:1-12

• It’s normal and healthy not to get whatever you want.

• In order for things to be special, they must be the exception, not the rule.

• There are higher values than immediate gratification.

• There are better ways to use God’s money than to follow our impulses.

Rewards as IncentivesAdults are reluctant to utilize rewards because they view them as a source of bribery. Our most workable teaching device is ignored because of a philosophical misunderstanding. Our entire society is established on a system of reinforcement, yet we don’t want to apply it where it is needed most: with young children.

James Dobson, Dare to Discipline

*And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that 1) he exists and that 2) he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Hebrews 11:6

Children Who Share

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

Hebrews 13:2

Children Who Are Thankful

Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.

Psalm 103:2

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Wrap Up

Question: How would you summarize what you have learned from the Scriptures that are the backbone of this course?

I continually find it necessary to guard against that natural love of wealth and grandeur which prompts us always, when we come to apply our general doctrine to our own case, to claim an exception.

William Wilberforce

The antagonism between life and conscience may be removed in two ways: by a change of life or by a change of conscience.

Leo Tolstoy

Learning from Each OtherWe have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying…. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Romans 12:6-8

Sharing Our Giving Stories

Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

Matthew 6:1

Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:16

The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord.

1 Chronicles 29:9

Should Giving Always Be

Kept Secret?

Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them.

When you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in synagogues and on streets…to be honored by men.

So when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Matt. 6:1-5

Matthew 6:2

I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.

Matthew 6:5

Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Acts 2:45

No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.

There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need. Acts 4:32-35

Question: Did anyone notice who sold property and gave it away?

Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:16

Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

1 Corinthians 11:1

The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord.

1 Chronicles 29:9

Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.

Philemon 1:7

And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond….

2 Corinthians 8:1-3

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:24, 25

A Sense of Destiny

If you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?

Esther 4:14

Give It Now or Give It Later?

• The economy may change and we’ll have less to give.

• Our hearts may change and we may not follow through with giving.

• Our lives may end before we’ve given what we intended.

Only one life, ‘twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.

C. T. Studd

A Hard Look at Ourselves

William MacDonald God’s will is that our lives should

be “a perpetual crisis of dependence on him.” We defeat his will in our lives when we lay up treasures on earth. The life of faith does not follow automatically when a person becomes a Christian.

It requires deliberate action on his part. This is especially true in an affluent society. The believer must put himself in a position where he is compelled to trust God.…It is only as he gets rid of his reserves and other false supports that he can truly launch out into the deep.

How utterly in keeping with this age of grace it is for us to sell our prized possessions—our diamonds and other jewelry, our original paintings, our antique furniture, our sterling silver, our stamp collections—and put the proceeds to work in the salvation of souls throughout the world.

William MacDonald, True Discipleship

To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

1 Peter 2:21

If we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment.

1 Corinthians 11:31

Our Accountability as God’s Money Managers

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

Luke 12:48

So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Romans 14:12

You have taken possession of the resources that belong to Christ and you consume them aimlessly. Don’t you realize that you are going to be held accountable?

John Chryostom

The Christian far oftener disgraces his profession in prosperity than in adversity. It is a dangerous thing to be prosperous. The crucible of adversity is a less severe trial to the Christian than the fining-pot of prosperity. Oh, what leanness of soul and neglect of spiritual things have been brought on through the very mercies and bounties of God!

Yet this is not a matter of necessity, for the apostle tells us that he knew how to abound. When he had much he knew how to use it. Abundant grace enabled him to bear abundant prosperity. When he had a full sail he was loaded with much ballast, and so floated safely.

Charles Spurgeon,Morning and Evening

Give, and it will be given to you.

Luke 6:38

So that you can be generous on every occasion.

2 Corinthians 9:11

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:18

Any temporal possession can be turned into everlasting wealth. Whatever is given to Christ is immediately touched with immortality.

A. W. Tozer

“I have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all. But whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess.”

Martin Luther

Should Giving Always Be

Kept Secret?

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Matthew 6:3-4

Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them.

Matthew 6:1

When you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men.

Matthew 6:2

I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.

Matthew 6:5

So when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret.

Matthew 6:3-4

Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Acts 2:45

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.

There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.

Acts 4:32-35

Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:16

Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

1 Corinthians 11:1

So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Matthew 6:2-4

The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord.

1 Chronicles 29:9

Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.

Philemon 1:7

Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own.

2 Corinthians 8:2-3

When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.

Matthew 6:6

Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.

Matthew 18:19-20

As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. ”I tell you the truth,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

Luke 21:1-4

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:24, 25

Financial Integrityand Accountability

in Churches and Ministries

What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help.

2 Corinthians 8:19

We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift.

2 Corinthians 8:20

We are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men.

2 Corinthians 8:21

In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you. As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ.

2 Corinthians 8:22-23

Christians need to tighten up the scrutinizing of all funds holding their monies and to insist on all the accepted safeguards and controls and on all the strictest procedures.

David B. Barrett,World Christian Trend

Lending Money, Charging Interest, and

Co-signing a Loan

The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously…They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed.

Psalm 37:21, 26

Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.

Psalm 112:5

At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel the loan he has made to his fellow Israelite. He shall not require payment from his fellow Israelite or brother, because the LORD’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. You may require payment from a foreigner, but you must cancel any debt your brother owes you.

Deuteronomy 15:1-3

When the neighboring peoples bring merchandise or grain to sell on the Sabbath, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on any holy day. Every seventh year we will forgo working the land and will cancel all debts.

Nehemiah 10:31

The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously.

Psalm 37:21

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Matthew 6:12

Charging Interest

If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, return it to him by sunset, because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? When he cries out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.

Exodus 22:26-27

When you make a loan of any kind to your neighbor, do not go into his house to get what he is offering as a pledge. Stay outside and let the man to whom you are making the loan bring the pledge out to you. If the man is poor, do not go to sleep with his pledge in your possession. Return his cloak to him by sunset so that he may sleep in it. Then he will thank you, and it will be regarded as a righteous act in the sight of the LORD your God.

Do not take advantage of a hired man who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother Israelite or an alien living in one of your towns. Pay him his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and is counting on it. Otherwise he may cry to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.

Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.

Do not deprive the alien or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge.

Deuteronomy 24:10-17

Do not charge your brother interest, whether on money or food or anything else that may earn interest. You may charge a foreigner interest, but not a brother Israelite, so that the LORD your God may bless you in everything you put your hand to in the land you are entering to possess.

Deuteronomy 23:19-20

If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not be like a moneylender; charge him no interest.

Exodus 22:25

If one of your countrymen becomes poor and is unable to support himself among you, help him as you would an alien or a temporary resident, so he can continue to live among you. Do not take interest of any kind from him, but fear your God, so that your countryman may continue to live among you. You must not lend him money at interest or sell him food at a profit.

Leviticus 25:35-37

You may charge a foreigner interest, but not a brother Israelite, so that the LORD your God may bless you in everything you put your hand to in the land you are entering to possess.

Deuteronomy 23:20

Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs.…Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.

Deuteronomy 15:8, 10

If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!

Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, appoint as judges even men of little account in the church! I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? But instead, one brother goes to law against another—and this in front of unbelievers!

The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?

1 Corinthians 6:1-7

Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?

Luke 19:23

Signing for Another Person’s Loans

He who puts up security for another will surely suffer, but whoever refuses to strike hands in pledge is safe.

Proverbs 11:15

Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts; if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you.

Proverbs 22:26-27

My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have struck hands in pledge for another, if you have been trapped by what you said, ensnared by the words of your mouth, then do this, my son, to free yourself, since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands: Go and humble yourself; press your plea with your neighbor! Allow no sleep to your eyes, no slumber to your eyelids. Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.

Proverbs 6:1-5

A man lacking in judgment strikes hands in pledge and puts up security for his neighbor.

Proverbs 17:18

Practical Guidelines toControl Spending

1. Realize that nothing is a good deal if you can’t afford it.

2. Recognize that God isn’t behind every good deal.

3. Understand the difference between spending money and saving money.

4. Look at the long-term cost, not just the short-term expense.

5. Pray before you spend. 6. Examine every purchase in

light of its ministry potential. 7. Understand and resist the

manipulative nature of advertising.

8. Learn to walk away from things you want but don’t need.

9. Realize that little things add up.10. Set up a budget and live by it.

Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever.

Proverbs 27:23-24

Can a man be poor if he is free from want, if he does not covet the belongings of others, if he is rich in the possession of God? Rather, he is poor who possesses much but still craves for more.

Tertullian, AD 198

Overall Lessons from the Stewardship Parables

The long-term significance of today’s behavior and choices. How we handle God’s assets in our present daily life has tremendous bearing on eternal realities.

The inevitability of consequences for all our actions.

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Galatians 6:7

Our painstaking responsibility to choose wisely and live rightly. The master’s absence is both a challenge and an opportunity to prove ourselves worthy to be elevated to greater responsibility.

Our clear-cut incentives and motivations. Unwise stewards are lazy, but wise stewards are diligent and highly motivated. They know their master well enough to know there will be lasting consequences for their labor, whether good or bad.

Our preoccupation with responsibilities, not rights. As stewards our rights are limited by our lack of ownership. We carry no sense of entitlement to the assets we manage. It’s our job to find out what the owner wants done with his assets, then carry out his will….

If we focus on the master’s rights, we’ll fulfill our responsibilities. If we focus on what we think we deserve, on what we think our master or others owe us, we lose perspective. The quality of our service deteriorates rapidly.

The meaninglessness of everyone else’s evaluation compared to the judgment of our one master.

“each of us will give an account of himself to God.”

“Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls.” Rom. 14:3-4, 12