Sabbath School Lesson for March 4-10, 2023
Overview of Lesson 10, Giving Back
Memory Text: “And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.” Revelation 14:13
This week we explore these topics:
- Sunday: Jesus told a parable of a rich fool who saved all his wealth, just so he could enjoy life and spend all of it on himself.
- Monday: Life is short, and you can’t take your riches with you after you die.
- Tuesday: Good stewardship includes planning ahead for what happens to our possessions when we are gone.
- Wednesday: Avoid deathbed charity, or waiting till you die to start giving back to God.
- Thursday: After our family’s needs are provided for, we should share all we have with those in need, both before and after our death.
As we age and near our retirement years, we naturally think more about what the future holds. It’s hard not to worry about dying too soon or even living too long and running out of money when we aren’t capable of earning more. But Ellen White counsels seniors to “…lay aside anxiety and burdens, and occupy their time as happily as they can.” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, p. 424)
Our last years don’t have to be miserable ones, when we work with God and plan our financial matters in advance. We have the opportunity to lay up treasures in heaven by sacrificially giving back to Him as much as we’ve been blessed.
The best way to enjoy our retirement years is to know that even after death, others will be blessed by our thoughtful planning. Whether it be family or others in need, there’s always something we can leave behind for this world which glorifies God, even if it’s only the legacy of a good character, a life well-lived.
Sunday: The Rich Fool
As shown in this parable, it’s not good to have the attitude that makes us want only to “eat, drink, and be merry”. In other words, our accumulated wealth should not be for the sole purpose of spending it selfishly on our own pleasures. See Luke 12:16-21.
We are fools if we live as if there is no God, no death, and no heavenly reward. Any enjoyment from this type of life is only temporary and superficial. It reveals a selfishness of heart that will only lead to misery in the end. We are all fools indeed if we live only for the moment. Whether we are rich or poor, we can have treasures in heaven, the only kind that will be remembered by God and others after we are gone.
Our retirement years, when our lifework ends, do not mean we become unproductive citizens, incapable of contributing to God’s service. For some people, their productivity in their last stage of life is actually enhanced. Daniel the prophet and John the Revelator were in their 80s when they wrote their prophetic books that are so helpful for us today to understand the Second Coming.
There’s no need to waste any of our years, even those final ones. If God gives us the strength to contribute anything to the cause of Christ, we should be ready and willing to do so, no matter our age or circumstance.
Bible Verses for Thought and Discussion:
Luke 12:16-21, Psalm 52:7 and 39:6
- Why is it important not to trust in our riches?
- In what way do rich fools “busy themselves in vain?
Monday: You Can’t Take It With You
The first shocking realization as we get older is how short life really is. Watching our children grow and have children of their own makes us wonder at how quickly the years pass by. Time does not stand still for any of us. When we are young, it seems like forever until a holiday arrives, for instance. But the older we get, the quicker the holidays come and go, and we long for them to slow down for us.
Another point that often gets overlooked is how we can’t take our possessions, or anything for that matter, with us when our life ends. It’s a mistake, therefore, to avoid thinking about death if it prevents us from preparing for it properly. Good stewardship demands that we carefully plan how our goods will be distributed when the time comes, as it always does. Our life and also our death provide opportunities to glorify God, and we should leave none of it to chance.
Leaving enough to help provide for our families is always nice, but if God blesses us above those needs, we have a duty to return to God those things that really belong to Him in the first place. In most countries of the world, if we don’t have legal documents, written and signed, designating our final wishes, God’s work of spreading the gospel will get nothing from anything we leave behind.
Bible Verses for Thought and Discussion:
Psalm 39:11 and James 4:14
- What is meant by our life being like a “vapor”?
Psalm 49:17, Ecclesiastes 5:15, and 1 Timothy 6:7
- Does this mean we can ignore planning for our death? Why or why not?
Psalm 24:1
- How does God’s ownership impact how and why we do all our financial planning?
Tuesday: Begin With Personal Needs
We read in Proverbs 27:23, “Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and attend to your herds.” In today’s language, this is telling us to take care of business, plan for our financial success. We must be diligent in knowing the state of our assets and keeping our plans for the present and future up-to-date.
In addition, Proverbs 27:27 counsels us to take care of personal needs. Providing for our family should be included in our estate planning as well. Family members deserve to be taken care of after we are gone, just as we do our best for them while we are alive.
We also find in this passage a reminder that our “riches are not forever” (Proverbs 27:24). Truly, the things of this world are not meant to last. We can only enjoy them for awhile. Properly managing our possessions is therefore important, simply because they are so temporary. Our wealth, no matter what form it comes in, can disappear overnight. We need to consider all our diligent planning as part of being a good steward.
Bible Verses for Thought and Discussion:
Proverbs 27:23-27 and 1 Timothy 5:8
- Why is taking care of our families, as much as we are able, so important to God?
- How can we avoid feeling guilt when our attempts to provide are not successful?
- How can we avoid judging others for their lack of providing for their personal needs?
- What can and should the church do to provide, when others fail to provide properly for themselves? Should we refuse to help those who are negligent providers? What would Jesus do?
Wednesday: Deathbed Charity
Deathbed charity happens when a person hangs onto all their wealth, so they can live as extravagantly as possible while they are alive. They only release their hold on money after they are gone, leaving much or all of it to charity then, to appease their conscience.
However, several Bible verses reveal that this is not the best course of action. 1 Timothy 6:17 says not to be haughty, as many wealthy people grow to be. This unbecoming attitude is very easy to adopt when we are relying on our riches instead of trusting God. Instead we are to look to eternal things that last (2 Corinthians 4:18). We shouldn’t depend on our money to satisfy our soul (Ecclesiastes 5:10). Money should never take the place of God, which is what we are in danger of doing when we hoard our wealth for our own pleasure.
Money and possessions are given to us by God to be a blessing. But Satan, God’s enemy, does all he can to make them a curse when our love of money overshadows our duty to help others with our wealth.
Bible Verses for Thought and Discussion:
Proverbs 30:8
- What does this verse tell us about how we should manage our financial resources?
1 Timothy 6:17
- Who gives us things to enjoy?
- How does not trusting in God lead to haughtiness, arrogance, and pride?
- When we trust our money, who are we really trusting?
2 Corinthians 4:18 and Hebrews 11:1
- What kind of eternal, unseen things might this verse be talking about?
- What does faith have to do with our material blessings, things that are seen?
Ecclesiastes 5:10
- Why doesn’t money provide us with real satisfaction?
Thursday: Spiritual Legacy
Our legacy is basically what we leave behind, But an inheritance doesn’t have to be monetary or material things. We can and should also leave our loved ones, and the world, a good character and reputation, values, and even our faith. These things can truly be called our spiritual legacy, surely the most important and lasting one of all.
One way to do this is to give generously of our goods while we are alive. This not only lays up treasures for us in heaven, but is an example of generosity and loving that is always needed for others to see, not just after we are gone.
There are other advantages to this kind of giving back to God, while we are alive. These might include…
- seeing the result of our gift–such as a church being built, someone being able to attend college, or people helped after a natural disaster
- reducing the amount of our final bequest–leaving less for loved ones to fight over and more for the projects we particularly want to benefit
Since it is God who gives us life and the strength to have anything in the first place, we should be constantly looking for ways to share His blessings, knowing that He will multiply them farther than we could ever imagine. That’s what makes them such a treasure to God, and to us, for the spiritual growth it makes possible. We are drawn closer to Him with each dollar spent this way, both before and after we are gone.
Bible Verses for Thought and Discussion:
Hebrews 3:4, Psalm 50:10, and Genesis 14:19
- Why is it important to base our giving on the fact that God owns everything we have?
- How should this affect how and when we give back to God?
Friday: Final Thoughts
The memory text this week (Revelation 14:13) follows the message of three angels that are familiar to many who long for the Second Coming. Right before the verse, saints are mentioned who have patience, keep God’s commandments, and have faith in Jesus (Revelation 14:12).
In 1852, Annie R. Smith had some of these saints in mind when she penned a poem about Joseph Bates, James White, and herself, which became a hymn called, “I Saw One Weary” (#441 in the SDA hymnal).
The memory text speaks of those who rest from their labors, but whose works follow them. The legacy of faith left behind by early church pioneers well over a hundred years ago now, inspires us to keep having patience, faith, and the strength to follow God’s commands. Our spiritual legacy, whatever blessing from God that may be, is a way we can give back to those who follow us.
Next Week: Managing in Tough Times
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