It is hard to believe that someday we will all become either incapacitated or God will take us home. In both cases, we will likely lose our ability to decide how we would like our life savings to work and honor God.
Because it is hard for us to believe this day will come, we put off preparing for it; we are frightened of it. We need to stop ignoring the fact that we are human and that our days on earth are numbered.
The day will come when our mind cannot reason, so we must take action today to ensure our families and favorite charities receive our life savings in the manner that we want.
In biblical times, inheritance was a much simpler matter. Tradition and the father's wishes clearly determined where his land, home, and livestock were to go. In ancient times the population wasn't 6 billion people.
Millions of children were not dying from a lack of food or water or shelter or medicine. However, the book of Proverbs provides us with some guidance on what to do with our inheritance: "A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, and the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous" (Proverbs 14:15).
A good man, a wise man, leaves an inheritance not only to his children but also to his children's children. Today we have the ability to distribute our inheritance to our children, grandchildren, and the starving children of the world.
However, we must make a choice. We must make a sacrifice and not spend money on ourselves or buy things we don't need to impress people we don't even know, but instead wisely invest in the future of those that we love.
Once we have made that choice to build wealth and lovingly give it away, we need to ensure that our court system doesn't make decisions that are against our desires.
The way to avoid a court deciding your wishes and the government taxing your estate is through the use of a few legal documents such as trusts, wills, and various powers of attorney.
You are the one who knows Gods will for the wealth you have acquired. You are the one who knows how you want to be medically treated during the last days of your life. A proper trust can ensure that hundreds of thousands of dollars will be passed on to your chosen charities and family without probate and estate taxes that can be over 50%!
It is essential to contact an attorney that specializes in trusts and wills to put in place a plan for the future, before your days to plan are gone!
This last golden key, to protect your estate, can give you peace of mind and be a tool to glorify God with your giving. So here again you must pick up the key and put it into action.
Faith has been called putting your beliefs into action. I ask you to be faithful and put your beliefs into action, and the peace of the Lord will be with you always.