E-Devotional-Week 17

NET WORTH-WEEK 4

HOW MUCH DOES A PERSON NEED?

By: Barry G. Allen- President & CEO

“Dad, if you had as much money as Bill Gates, would we live in a bigger house?  With that, my younger son, Glen, at age 13 presented me the opportunity (a) to bear witness to him of my stewardship convictions and (b) to test the integrity of those convictions.

How much does a person need? The Russian novelist Tolstoy wrote a story titled, “How Much Land Does A Man Need?”  It was the story of a simple peasant who had lived on someone else’s land until he heard an estate was going to be divided and sold to the peasants.  Excited, he went to the extraordinary lengths to gain 20 acres for himself.

Soon he discovered owning 20 acres was not as satisfying as he expected; he wanted more.  So he sold the 20 acres and purchased 200 acres in another place.  The same pangs of dissatisfaction set in.  He discovered another opportunity where the regional chief would sell him all the land he could walk around in one day with the condition he had to return where he started by sundown.

At sunrise he set out to encircle all the land possible.  With so much at stake he did not stop to eat, drink or rest.  Anxious to acquire as much as possible he failed to measure the time and distance.  As the sun began to set he realized how far away he was from the starting point.  Fear gripped him.  Because of his greed, he might lose it all.  As fast as he could he ran, and as the last beam of sun disappeared, he staggered back to the starting point.  He had acquired an immense tract of land, but having overtaxed his heart, he fell to the ground and died on the spot.

The story ends with the question of the title, “how much land does a man need?”  In this case, only a plot six feet long, three feet wide and four feet deep – enough to bury him.

The answer I gave my son was “I hope not. Even though it would be tempting, I have learned seeking to satisfy my deepest hungers with possessions does not work. 

Prayer Focus: Ask God to help you measure your net worth not just by the things you have, but also by the things you have for which you would not take money.

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The information in this article is provided as general information and is not intended as legal or tax advice. For advice and assistance in specific cases, you should seek the advice of an attorney or other professional adviser.