Further Thought: Ellen G. White wrote two chapters on this important
topic of distribution of our assets. See “To (Aged and) Wealthy Parents,” in
Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, pp. 116–130, and “Wills and Legacies,”
in Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, pp. 476–485.
There also is a section that discusses estate planning in Counsels on
Stewardship, pp. 323–335. Ellen G. White also wrote: “That which many
propose to defer until they are about to die, if they were Christians indeed
they would do while they have a strong hold on life. They would devote
themselves and their property to God, and, while acting as His stewards,
they would have the satisfaction of doing their duty. By becoming their
own executors, they could meet the claims of God themselves, instead
of shifting the responsibility upon others.”—Testimonies for the Church,
vol. 4, p. 480.
What does she mean by “becoming their own executors”? In a typi-
cal will, the one making the will appoints an executor to distribute the
assets following his death in harmony with his wishes as expressed in
the will. By becoming your own executor, you simply distribute your
assets yourself while you are living. By doing so, you will have the
satisfaction of seeing the results and of knowing that you are handling
God’s entrusted talents properly.
For the Christian, the second coming of Christ is the “Blessed Hope.” We
all have imagined how awesome it will be to see Jesus coming in the clouds
of heaven. We are eager to hear the words, “Well done” (Matt. 25:21). But
what if we should be laid to our rest before Jesus returns? If we have
followed His revealed will, we can have the satisfaction now of seeing
the work go forward because of our efforts, knowing that because of
our estate plan, the work will continue after we are gone.
Discussion Questions:
Ê Though we can lay up treasure in heaven now, why is that not
the same thing as trying to earn, or even “buy,” your way to salva-
tion?
Ë While we should be generous in giving with what we have now,
we also should be wise. How often have we heard people, par-
ticularly date-setters, make appeals for money because such and
such an event is going to happen at such and such a date, and so
because our money will be useless then, we’d better send it into his
or her ministry now? How can we learn to discern between this
trickery and legitimate ways that we can use our money even now
for the cause of God?
