Ep. 072 - How Should Christians Steward an Inheritance?

Episode Transcript

Austin
Receiving an inheritance can be both blessing and bring with it sadness at the loss of a loved one. As followers of Jesus, we can hold both of these feelings in tension as we thank God for those who have been generous towards us. Today, we want to explore what it looks like to be the steward of an inheritance.

Spencer
Today, Austin, we get to talk about something that's a little bit speculative. There's a lot of different paths that we could go on this topic, but it's how do we address an inheritance as a steward? And upfront, the disclaimer is there's actually nothing in Scripture that directly speaks to what we're supposed to do here. There's a lot of that in Scripture with current day topics, though.
So there are principles, certainly, that we can learn from that we can apply. But nothing that says this is what you need to do directly. So as in all things, take what we say with a grain of salt here, but lay this out. Frame this for us in terms of how we need to be approaching Scripture as we think about Lord, how do I steward my inheritance?

Austin
Yeah, absolutely. Well, we kind of frame this as we think about the next couple episodes that we're going to talk about. In a future episode we're going to talk about vacations and how to think about those as a steward. These are topics where we need to come back to the Lord with wisdom and say, God, I want to be wise as a steward.
Help me see from your Word what you say about my rest, my, the things that you have placed in my hands so that I can steward them well. So today, as we look at this throughout Scripture, God is frequently referred to as the benefactor. Even if we think about our parents or grandparents or a generous aunt or uncle that bestow upon us resources, God is still the provider of those.
He is still the primary benefactor. He is our provider always. And as we receive that inheritance, He’s also the owner of that inheritance. So he gives it to us. But it's also His, and we're simply stewards of it. He places it in our hands. And so really, as we think about this, we always come back to that question of how much is enough?
And the answer to it is that God owns at all. And so as we come to a inheritance, as a steward, we remember that God has graciously given to us. We trust him yesterday, today, and forever as our provider. So first off, we'll just take a brief, cursory look at both how the Old Testament looks at God as benefactor and us as steward.
And so if we look at the Old Testament throughout kind of your, the Levitical law through the book of Joshua, what we see is that God most frequently is giving land to Israel. When we hear the language of inheritance, it's often talked about the tribes of Israel are going to be given this, that, or other piece of property and the people then are to steward it and then give it on to the next generation.
It's not necessarily there's not as much of this growth of resources like we see today in that modern, wealth building through either investment or homes or things like that. It's typically a land or a family home that's passed on from generation to generation. But God is still the benefactor. He is still the one that pushes and brings Israel into the promised Land, brings the nation together.
He's the one that gives them the land. And so Ecclesiastes 7:11. We've talked about this before, but it pairs wisdom with an inheritance. It says wisdom is good with an inheritance, an advantage to those who see the sun. So even with this, the people of God, whether it was Israel in the Old Testament or us in the New Testament, primary time, we are intended to pass along an inheritance with wisdom.
We're supposed to walk our children into this place where wisdom is married with our inheritance. It's not just money that you're passing on or resources. It is the wisdom of how do I be a steward of those resources? And then we see in the New Testament there's a turn from earthly, tangible land to this idea of the eternal kingdom of God.
Our imperishable inheritance. And so we read in first Peter 1:3-5. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to His great mercy. He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Our inheritance, our ultimate inheritance, is that we get to participate in eternal life with Christ in this new heaven and earth, that He is welcoming us into. So even our earthly inheritance reflects that eternal inheritance. And so when we receive resources, we need to come back to: I am only here for a short time. Ecclesiastes. James. They talk about our life as a mist.
It is here for a little bit of time and then vanishes. So the reality is we are simply stewards money that comes into our hands. We are stewards of that because it is God's money at the end of the day.

Spencer
So I would I would see this as countercultural in some ways, because our culture says, well, you're going to receive an inheritance from your parents, let's just say, and your parents are the ones that owned it. And so they kind of can provide some parameters even of how they would like you to use it. So they own it and then they give it to you and they say, I want you to use it.
And maybe even here some specific ways. But that's very different than what we see here because stewardship, if God owned it to begin with, and then God owns it even after the transition, then we have we take our orders from the Lord. Right. Different than if, we had a parent that passed on, a significant sum and said, well, I want you to buy a new car, you know, with this or something like that.
It's a very different orientation because maybe God says, yes, you need to buy a new car, but maybe that's very different than what he would tell us to do.

Austin
Right. Absolutely. And I think we can hold that intention of the call of the Ten Commandments to honor your father and mother. I think if your father or mother gives you a directive to say, use it in this regard, you can still as a steward, honor their wishes. Now, if it comes to buy a new car because they know that your car has three wheels because one just fell off and you can't repair it.
Okay, maybe that is a way to honor them. But maybe you don't honor them by buying a $100,000 car that you don't need. Maybe. Let's see. Okay, how do I, as a steward, manage these resources as God would have me manage them? I can still buy a vehicle and honor my family. But first and foremost, honor the Lord.
And I think if they were to say maybe do this thing that is damaging to your soul, okay, maybe that's where we say, well, first and foremost, my call is to honor the Lord with my wealth, with the first fruits of all my produce. If it's damaging my soul, let's not do that. I think the other thing that is a great danger that we face as especially those of us in the West where we can look and see our parents and how they have amassed wealth, is to look and see, okay, I have a potential inheritance coming down the pike.
How would I use that in the future? And I think this is in a lot of ways really damaging both to our souls, because if I'm planning for something that is a un-guaranteed thing, where is my trust? If I am not saving because I see. Oh, maybe my parents are going to give me this wealth.
That's not wisdom. That's in a lot of ways. Like, how is that honoring my parents as well? It's not honoring to the Lord because I'm putting my trust in my parents wealth, but it's also not honoring them in their life. Because what if Mom or Dad wants to give all of their resources to charity? So I think there's a danger to where if we are planning on that, we're trying to wrestle control away from the Lord and really grasp it and say, this is mine, I deserve it.
And that could really produce in us, some disenfranchisement or some anger or disappointment with our parents. If that doesn't pan out or it doesn't go the way that we think. And so really, as we think about how do we steward it, we don't want to think about stewarding a potential inheritance. Maybe we pray for wisdom and say, God, if these resources ever come into my hand, help me to be a steward of them.
But we don't want to plan on it as if it's a given.

Spencer
So as we think about how we might use resources, resources come into our hands, then we've got different ways that we can deploy them. How do we think about that framework?

Austin
Yeah, I think we come back to that framework that we've talked about the uses of money in the past. We can use them to live, give, owe debt, owe taxes or grow. And the reality is, you know, if you receive an IRA from your parents and you are not at the age where you can make qualified charitable distributions, at some point you're going to have to take a distribution out.
You're going to have to pay tax on that. There's no getting around it. But the reality is, I think it comes back to that key question of how much is enough? How much do we keep? And we say, we come to this with the Lord and say, okay, how much really is enough? Do I need to store these resources that build that second or third or fourth barn?
Is that going to put my soul in peril? And this is where I think we come to that, that regular quote that we have from Ron Blue, that giving is the way that we break the power that money has over our lives. And, you know, I think with some individuals that we see, some clients that we sit down with when they start amassing a significant portion of wealth, then there can be an anxiety that comes with wealth.
And so we want to kind of live in this liminal space, that tension of how much is enough, Lord? I want to be wise in storing up enough. But if I get to a place where I'm anxious about it, maybe I have too much and I need to start really giving it away, because giving breaks the power of money.
I don't want to trust in an inheritance. I don't want to trust in earthly resources. I want to trust in the Heavenly Father that he is my provider.

Spencer
And one of the things that's so interesting about what we see some clients doing in regard to this is they're letting those resources bypass them, go to that next generation because they say, okay, I'm 55, 60, 65, whatever it might be. I've got children, grandchildren that can far more usefully deploy these resources given their season of life, I'm going to receive them and then pass them on immediately.
Now, what that may mean is that their children will have less of an inheritance at the end of their lives, but they've received significantly during their lifetimes. And that can be a huge advantage.

Austin
Right. Absolutely. And I think the reality here is by giving resources to church missions, charitable causes, or even family, it allows me the funds to simply flow through my hands and back into the work of the Lord. I release the control. And control is oftentimes one of those things that can be really damaging to your soul. So like you're saying, if I'm passing those resources along, I can be a conduit of God's grace to those places around me where he is moving.
Proverbs 20:21 encourages us to think about how to use an inheritance wisely. It says an inheritance gained hastily in the beginning will not be blessed in the end. So if we gather it, we store it for ourselves, it may lead to damage, to damage of our souls. Ecclesiastes 5:10 he who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income.
Austin
We come back to this idea that Jesus reminds us over and over that we cannot serve God and Mammon. Mammon, that idol, that demonic idol, that we can easily turn and worship. We can't serve both of them. Jesus knows that our hearts are going to be drawn to wanting to serve one or the other. And so giving releasing those funds from our hands, being a conduit of God's grace, really allows us to avoid that seduction of money.
It allows us to avoid that temptation to say, this is mine. I get to keep it and I get to use it however I want.

Spencer
And also just logistically, there's an emotional weight, but there's also a logistical weight like we've talked about. It's almost like you inherit another home and the home has value, which is great, but it also has repairs that you need to do every year, or you need to hire someone to do. So, you know, even if you receive a home and an inheritance worth a half million dollars, there are all of these different pieces that you've got to do logistically.
But then to your point, emotionally, you also think, okay, how do I make sure that I don't foul this up at a minimum? Whether that's for yourself, whether that's for the next generation, you're thinking about that. Whereas, you know, again, to make the math really simple, let's say you have five children and you sell the home for a half million dollars and you distribute $100,000 to each.
Why now it's in their hands. Whatever they do with it, you don't have control anymore. You can encourage them in different ways. You don't have control. Same thing with a half million dollar investment account. You receive it. Okay. If you push that out to charities, to your children, grandchildren, whatever it might be. Well, now you're not filing the taxes on that anymore.
You're not receiving the 1099. You're not doing the logistics or thinking about the portfolio allocation or how that relates to everything else in your life. It can it can increase that level of simplicity. It's just like, hey, I know that I have what I've done is good in saving for the future. This piece is great, but I don't actually have to have it, there.
So there's all kinds of places in between there too. We're not saying, hey, just give it all away. You know, for everyone, but making sure that it is not adding to your level of, you know, overall, difficulty and stress when you could pass those resources on or some portion of them, I think is an important consideration.

Austin
Yeah. Well, I think especially we've got friends that are teachers who it may be more difficult for them to save for retirement. And this windfall, an inheritance can be a true blessing. What we want to avoid as stewards, though, is allowing an inheritance to maybe step us up into a, another, tier of living. We take more lavish trips, we do more lavish things just because we can.
I think there's a danger in that of chasing a lifestyle, because we've received a windfall that we always need to be aware of. Yes, you can save this. Use it for your life. But also let's do it with intention. Let's be wise about how we do it and not allow the money to change our heart towards the Lord and have our trust there.
And I think, you know, the reality is, when we think about giving, we want to do it cheerfully. We don't want to do it because Spencer in Austin said, hey, you received an inheritance, therefore I need to give some of it away. We want to listen to what God is calling us to do. If God's calling you to give 10% of it, give 10% of it.
If he's calling you to give 50, give 50. [if] He's calling you to give all of it, give all of it. I think the reality is we have to be willing to listen to the Lord, because if we're not willing to listen to the Lord, then again, we're the ones trying to wrestle control back, and God wants us to cheerfully participate.
He wants us to joyfully participate with what He has given us. Again, it is not our parents that bless us with an inheritance. God is the benefactor. He is our provider. He is the one that has given us everything. And we've read stories of individuals who God called them to the mission field. They received a large inheritance where they could have said, that's great, I never have to raise support again.
And instead they gave it all away and continue to trust in the Lord. You can look back on our episode about C.T. Studd. Things like this are just, they’re powerful ways to connect my heart and my mind and my hands with okay, God, I know that you have promised to provide. I could easily do this, but instead I'm going to trust you.
I'm going to release control. I'm going to actually trust you with my hands.

Spencer
So we've shared a lot of different things here that folks might think about as they receive an inheritance, how they may process that. I think perhaps the best passage in the New Testament, really, to frame our giving thoughts would be 2 Corinthians 8 with the Macedonian church, you know, where they give out of a deep desire and a deep joy to participate with God, with what he's up to.
So we always come back to it's based in what God is given, you know, whether we look at Romans 12:1: therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. You know, we give everything that we have, not just our finances, but our whole bodies, in a sense, to God.
Galatians 2:20. You know, when we think about our life being an exchange life, it is not one that we can hold, that we can grasp, there and keep for ourselves. Instead, we get Christ's life in us. He takes our sin. And so as He takes, our sin away, we also we're indebted to Him.
And in a very real and practical way. But it's a way that brings joy, you know, that we can participate again with Him. So first, again, it's based on what God has given us because he is giving us. But the other thing that I think that comes out in Second Corinthians 8 is really making gifts in a proportionate way.
Paul talks about that as he talks about, raising funds from the church in Corinth and even comparing them to others. He's just saying, hey, make a consistent gift, make it proportionate to, you know, what you have coming in. So, you know, if we have, a really significant inheritance, right? I think it makes sense to, to really try to endeavor to be open handed, you know, with that, if there's a smaller inheritance that comes in and we see, okay, well, I can bless someone with this or I can use it immediately.
Well, then, you know, a proportionate gift makes sense there as well. So I think again proportionate, and then finally, as you talked about cheerful giving, Paul comes back to this a number of different times, but particularly in 2 Corinthians 9, you know where he talks about God loving a cheerful giver. God doesn't want us to look at this and say, oh, goodness, I've got to give because God gave this to me.
It's not a sense of drudgery, but it's a sense of really I can have an impact alongside the God of the universe and the things that He’s up to in this world with these resources, be it 5%, 10%, 50%, all of the, all of the inheritance, whatever level you're called to there, being cheerful and really being able to participate in a meaningful way.

Austin
Absolutely. And I think, you know, as we close out today, the key piece that we want to come back to is this is about faithfulness, [sic] being faithful to what God has called you to being faithful to listen to the Lord, being faithful, just to say, okay, God, if this is what you want me to do, I will do it.
We hear from the Lord, we act. We hear from the Lord, we act. But we have to have that posture of openness and open handedness to say, God, what do you want me to do with an inheritance?

Spencer
Right, and I think I love that image of having a posture of openness, because it does mean that we've got to have a conversation with the Lord.

Austin
Yeah.

Spencer
And if He says, okay, I don't have a purpose for that yet, then we come back, you know, over time and we listen to Him still because it He will speak, He will speak with clarity if we listen. But we have to have a calm enough, spirit, a calm enough, posture to be able to hear Him.
And so if He’s not speaking, you know, in those first few months, as you're grieving, don't feel like you need to do anything, you know, there. But over time, keep coming back to that, I think is the thing that we would, encourage because, the Lord will speak and there are different seasons when that clarity comes, with greater focus.

Austin
Yeah. Well, great. Clients, if you have questions about receiving an inheritance and what you want to do with it, how do you want to honor the Lord with it? We would love to have that conversation with you. As always, feel free to leave questions or comments down below as well, and we'll see you again next time. If you found this episode valuable, share it with a friend and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so that you don't miss the next episode.

Disclosure
This content was provided by Second Half Stewardship. We are in Knoxville, Tennessee, and you can visit our website at www.secondhalf stewardship.com. The information in this recording is intended for general, educational and informational purposes only, and should not be construed as investment advisory, financial planning, legal, tax, or other professional advice based on your specific situation. Please consult your professional advisor before taking any action based on its contents.