day 1118: Inheritances

"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see."

During the past Presidential election and the tax modifications that occurred afterwards, there a lot of discussion about changes in inheritance taxes.  What ended up was not substantially different than what the taxes were before, but it caused a firestorm of discussion about what and how should property and wealth be handed down from one generation to another. That discussion was not only about the rate of tax, but also sparked many conversations about the impact of generational wealth transfer and the good and bad of such transfers.  I have a very good friend who is the third generation owner of his family business and he is now looking at what and how to pass the business down to his children.  His is different in that he intends to work until he dies, but the dynamics are the same challenge with how much should the next generation gain and start with that came from the work and value creation of the previous generation.  While not an ownership problem per se, we face the same daily when we someone retires or moves out of a business and someone else comes in and picks up where they left off.  Should we compensate and give them the upside of what was created before them, or do they need to earn and find their own way. It isn't a simple answer and one that we are better off in have an agreed upon philosophy and plan before we are faced with the problem.

God made it very clear that He wants us to have an inheritance from Him when we become His children.  That inheritance is the promise of eternal life with Him. And the best part is that once we accept the inheritance there isn't anyone who can take it away from us or diminish it in any way.  I wonder if this is not how God wants us to also be with others when we are giving of ourselves. What I mean, is that are we not to extend ourselves to others in a way that helps them carry forward in a more confident, assured, and cared for fashion, and to not be people who one day extend ourselves to others and then the next exclude or pull back from helping in them with their needs?  There is also indeed one thing we can do for others that will provide them the eternal inheritance and this to share God's love and salvation with them for them to accept.  Today, there is someone with whom we work who is searching for an inheritance. What can we do to help them see the one that God gives?

Reference: 1 Peter 3:6 (New Living Translation)