I Samuel 25:2 "And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel."
What does it mean to be great? There has probably been no time in history like America in the 21st century, when a man's greatness is tied so closely to what he possesses. Greatness is related to what he has, not what he does. As Christians, we can become children of our culture. We just can't help thinking of greatness in terms of what we have instead of what we give or do. That's bogus thinking! You do not have to be wealthy, have a large 401k, or have a million bucks in your bank account to see greatness in this way.
Your value is not based on what you have! There is nothing wrong with wealth; what you do with that wealth makes all the difference! This man in chapter 25 named Nabal was not great at all. He had great possessions, but he was a scrooge with what he had. Verse 25 says, "For as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him. . . ." David respectfully appealed for provision to the owner of the flocks he was out protecting; yet Nabal bristled at the very thought! (verses 10-11)
Having great wealth does not make you great, but what you do with it may. You will leave everything you have when you pass on; why wait until you're dead to be a giver? You can either lose it all by holding on to it, or you can gain by giving it away. You have the choice every day whether you will be a hoarder or a giver. Leaving it all is inevitable-live and give while you can!
Life is full of examples of people who worked like crazy to amass great wealth, yet they did not even know the person who took everything they worked for! There is a better way. Be a living giver! When you give, you have a choice where and when your money, time, and resources go and how they are used. When you're dead, you don't have that choice!
There is nothing wrong with having a will and a plan as to where your possessions will go once you die. Your greatness will not be measured by what you had; your greatness will be measured by what you did with what you had. Take advantage of the opportunities you have to be a giver.
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