Money Matters: Devotions from Time of GraceНамуна

Getting Money God’s Way: Inheriting

There are legal and moral ways to acquire money other than by working. One of them is by inheriting. It is a beautiful thing when people make estate plans and actually leave a bequest to friends and relatives.

Aye, but here’s the rub--inheritances are often not expected (and thus not planned for), and as such can lead people to sudden extravagant spending. “An inheritance quickly gained at the beginning will not be blessed at the end” (Proverbs 20:21).

What on earth does that mean? Well, it is a sad feature of human life that we don’t tend to respect money that we didn’t first have to work for. Money gained too quickly leads people to acquire appetites and habits that they can’t sustain. You can readily imagine praying that God would bless your job and regular income. I bet you never prayed that God would bless an inheritance you just received so that it would be a blessing and not a curse.

You know about setting aside a percentage of your regular income as a gift to thank the Giver. When you receive an inheritance, would it occur to you to set aside for God a percentage of those funds as well?