Benefits of Planned Giving as a Christian

The world tries to convince us that once certain things are obtained (money, sex, fame, personal pride) you will be happy. The reality however is that you can have everything in the world but if you don’t have God, you have nothing.

Direct statements like this are jarring to read or hear but more often than not, our world teaches us to value things that are finite, things that will eventually cease to meet our deepest needs and desires. Sin causes us to value the things of our own invention more than God our creator. On the day that you die you won’t be able to hold onto your money, your home, your car, or any of your possessions. If you are living for the things of this world you will inevitably come up empty.

If you think I’m being over-dramatic, take a look at what King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes. The opening line of Ecclesiastes 1:2 is “’Meaningless! Meaningless!’ says the Teacher. ‘Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.’”

The question then becomes, “If everything is meaningless then why should I care what I do with my money, my talents, or my skills in this life? Why shouldn’t I just live for myself if in the end everything was for nothing?”

Great question.

If you are living for the things of this world, then yes, everything is meaningless. Things in this world have an expiration date. They have a time when they will cease to serve a purpose. Even humans have an expiration date. If, however, you are living this life for the kingdom of God, then everything you do suddenly has meaning and purpose. God’s kingdom has no expiration date, God’s love will never end. The benefit of using your money for God’s glory in this life is that you get to play a part in sharing God’s love with people all around the world so that they might also get to be a part of His unending kingdom.

The only thing that you can take with you when you die is your faith in Jesus. And that is the ultimate thing that really matters in this life.  

Imagine you are relaxing in heaven one day and a group of people come up to you with the biggest smiles on their faces. Imagine them saying to you, “Thank you! You didn’t know me back on earth but your decision to support the sharing of the gospel allowed me to meet Jesus and I’m here today because your generosity opened up doors for the Holy Spirit to work on my heart.” How incredible would that feel?!

Imagine being able to play a role in sharing the love of Jesus with those around you. Planned giving is one way you can do this.

The truth is, God is able to do His work all on His own. You could choose to not play any role in the sharing of the gospel and God would still be able to carry out His will. God doesn’t ask us to give because He needs it, but because He knows the blessings we will receive when we choose to put others first for His glory. God will take the gifts that you give either through recurring donations, planned giving, or any other method of charitability and work it for His good. At the end of the day what we have is not ours, it’s a wonderful gift from God that allows us to live our lives for something greater than ourselves. It allows us to say that our lives have meaning and a purpose.

All throughout these blogs we have given practical advice on how to plan to give, the benefits that planned giving can have for a Christian family, and how to get started with your giving. If you’ve been on the fence until now about whether or not to involve giving in your financial plan, let me share this passage from Psalm 96:2-4 with you:

“Sing to the Lord, praise his name;
    proclaim his salvation day after day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
    his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;”

God has done miraculous things for us and He has placed us in our particular time and place for a divine purpose.

Still wondering about the benefits of planned giving methods as a Christian?

I could make a list of how placing your finances in God’s hands benefits your financial security, your emotional health, your mental clarity, and your connection with others. But the greatest benefit and motivator in my opinion? It allows you to hold the welcome sign for people when they come to heaven. You get to have a front row seat to see God bringing more and more people around the world to His family. We see in the Bible that heaven throws a party each time a person repents and turns to God, so let’s do all we can to make heaven a place full of parties today and for every day in the future years to come.

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