A Gift for Grandchildren – Letter No. 2

Dear Violet, Mia, Noelle, Charlie, Henry and George,

Grandpa likes to say the same things over-and-over again. So here are some reminders:

We hope you will learn how to budget, save, invest and give.
You should remember that God owns what you possess and that he cares about what you do with your lives and your things.
Grandpa as a US Navy Signalman.
We want you to increase in knowledge and wisdom from God. You can show your wisdom by your attitude towards work and wealth. Wealth can include money and the things you own that have value.

How does one gain a good inheritance at the end of our lives? The Apostle Paul said it is by working with wholehearted devotion with the attitude we are personally serving the Lord Jesus Christ. What does God expect that we will do with our time, talents and energy? He expects us to work, love and disciple others. God works, and we should be like God. We are made in his image and he wants us to be like Jesus. Jesus also came to do the Father’s will and work. His work revealed his love towards and his commitment to others.

Our work should be enthusiastic, committed and careful, skillful, motivated by love and guided by serving others. It isn’t about me or what I can get. You can expect to be paid for work, but that is just a small benefit.

Colossians 3:23-24 – “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”

Proverbs 16:3 – “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”

Proverbs 22:29 – “Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.”

John 15:12 – “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

Mark 10:45 – “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

God says that when you work you are pleasing him and that he provides a reward. When you get older you also are often paid for your work. God tells your boss to pay you fairly for your work. If you doubt this, see Leviticus 19:13 and Malachi 3:5. Your work and the way you work should show others that you love God and others. God wants your desire to be to serve, not to be served. We should desire to be like Jesus.

If you have a job, you can work and earn money. I worked with computers and many different people. I worked in the US Navy, at a huge company, some at small companies and at Target and The Home Depot. But your job doesn’t have to be in the military, a store, an office or a factory. You can also invest, and that requires work, knowledge and wisdom. Let me encourage you to study arithmetic. You need to learn how to add, subtract, multiply, divide and to understand the meaning of percentages (%) or fractions (½). These tools will make it possible for you to make careful decisions. These tools make it possible for you to earn money by saving and investing.