Anyone trusting in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like foliage. The one who brings ruin on his household will inherit the wind, and a fool will be a slave to someone whose heart is wise. Proverbs 11:28–29
Who’s the richest man in the world? Every year, various magazines and websites publish lists of the “Top 100 (or 500 or 1,000) Richest Men in the World.” I don’t know about you, but I am always fascinated with these. One list I read reported that one of these people makes forty-five million dollars a day in interest. Forty-five million dollars a day! Seriously?
You and I are going on a little trip to our local convenience store. C’mon, you can jump in my car. I’ll be happy to drive.
We enter the store and walk directly to the magazine rack. We see the customary weekly newsmagazines, a few sports tabloids, and muscle-building and automotive publications. And then you spot the one we came to the store to buy. It’s a financial periodical, and this issue’s feature is “The Richest Man in the World.”
Being the generous person that I am, I take the magazine from you and carry it to the guy at the checkout counter. Not being able to wait to read the article, we sit down on the bench right in front of the store. I hand the magazine back to you. Eagerly searching the table of contents, you discover where that feature is located.
There, on page 105, is a full-page photograph of “The Richest Man in the World.” You gasp in disbelief. The look in your eye is a strange mix of shock and exhilaration. I’m not sure if you’re going to yell or faint. It’s only then that I look at the photograph myself. Now it’s my turn to gasp. There on page 105, in this month’s issue of World Finance, is a full-color photograph of your dad! And in that moment you realize that, as his oldest son, your inheritance will be so great that, try as you might, you would never be able to spend it all, not in your entire lifetime.
Are you ready for this? Even though our story is completely make-believe, it’s the truth. Your heavenly Father is not only the richest “man” in the world, but He’s the richest being in existence. Your inheritance—forgiveness of sin, peace, eternal life—is more vast than you could possibly comprehend. Or exhaust.
And did you read today’s verse? It’s as sobering a thought as you have ever contemplated. Before your children have access to this inheritance, to all the forgiveness and peace that salvation in Jesus Christ has to offer, it’s going to have to pass through your hands. You can take this inheritance, invest it wisely, and pass it in full measure to your family. Or you can be a fool and squander the lavish wealth your Father has waiting for you, sending little but empty promises to the next generation.
In a few decades, your children will visit the same convenience store and thumb through the special issue of World Finance. Whose picture will they find on page 105?