Every child, at some point in his or her life will ask the question, “Who am I?” The predominant teaching in the public school system today is that we are essentially, and only, physical beings. To quote Stephen Pinker, an oft-cited Harvard professor of psychology, “When the brain dies, the person goes out of existence.” He really means that! Many educators teaching in public schools, universities and colleges have the same opinion.

Children are more than physical beings; they are also spiritual and eternal beings. This eternal perspective is what drives our Christian view of education. Your ministry’s leaders are passionate about continuing to offer this unique form of education. Will you pray for your school’s leadership? Only through God’s power can they protect each student from the humanistic influences of the world.

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.   -Proverbs 22:6

In Proverbs 22:6, King Solomon urged parents to "train up" their children for a special purpose. In Numbers 7:10, the same Hebrew word is used to describe the dedication of the alter for use in sacrifice; in I Kings 8:63, it is used to refer to the dedication of the first temple for use in worship; and in Nehemiah 12:27, it refers to the dedication of the rebuilt wall for use in protection from outside corruption. In each case, a special sense of joy and consecration marked the dedication as a special event.

Parents, you have a special cause for dedication as well: your children. Spiritually, our children do not belong to us, but to God who entrusts to us the responsibility of raising them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Your children have not come to you as a blank slate. God in His wisdom has gifted them with talents and abilities unique to them. Help them discern the "way in which they should go." Then train them up to fulfill the special purpose for which they have been designed by God.

In the early 1900's when the founders of the Fundamentalist movement trumpeted forth the absolute essentials of Biblical Christianity in a work known as The Fundamentals, A Testimony to the Truth, they thought it fitting and necessary to include an exposition on the topic of financial stewardship! Dr. Arthur T. Pierson (1837-1911), a pastor and ardent defender of the faith, wrote more than 50 books in his lifetime, including a popular biography of George Mueller and his last work: three chapters in The Fundamentals.

In his chapter, Our Lord’s Teachings About Money, Dr. Pierson delivers an exposition of the teachings of Christ himself on the topic of money that is both plain and powerful. Written nearly a century ago, the powerful truths reflected in Pierson’s work remain as powerfully relevant today as they were 2000 years ago when the Son of God first revealed them to man.

The words inherit, inheritance or heir are used over 240 times in our Old Testament. It is an extremely important theological concept in relation to God and his covenant relationship to the nation of Israel. By far the greater percentage of references refer to both the nation and the land it would control as an inheritance. The remaining few references address the family aspects of inheritance. What is important is that God “modeled” the concept of inheritance as a loving and holy Father toward his beloved children.

Contrasting Christian and Secular Estate Planning

The Bible is clear that Christians must seek Godly counsel on important decisions, yet when it comes to one of the most important planning processes a Christian will ever undertake, little thought is given to the worldview of the professionals whose advice they seek. Because each Christian is accountable to God for his stewardship, estate planning is a matter of eternal consequence! What a joy to know that with the right counsel, we can stand before the Lord and hear, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

Three aspects of the Christian worldview distinguish Christian stewardship planning from secular estate planning. These fundamental differences make an extraordinary impact on the eternal outcome of the estate planning process.

A will is the kind of thing no one likes to think about. The unsavory combination of having to deal with a lawyer and contemplating your own death is enough to make anyone hunt for a more pleasant activity! (I suspect many gutters have been given a non-seasonal cleaning for this very reason!)

While no one likes to think about dying, a good estate plan can be a tremendous source of blessing for the Christian, his family, and the ministries God lays on his heart to support.

This article outlines some priorities to consider when drafting a will and seven changes in life that indicate the need to change your estate plan as well!

The Eternal Vision personal stewardship review and planning process is designed to be thorough, and yet simple for each client to understand. Our desire is to help Christian people who are responding to the Lord's leadership in the area of Biblical stewardship to accomplish the goals God has led them to establish.

Every Christian is different, and we understand that God burdens each of us in different ways to accomplish His overall mission. Trained EV advisors meet with clients to determine their personal goals and to provide one-on-one discipleship as they seek God's will in the area of personal stewardship.