God’s Schoolroom
Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”
But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it, and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”
Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”
1st Samuel 17: 33-37
When I was young, the story of David and Goliath was one of my favorites. It still is. But as I’ve grown older, the story of the actual battle has taken second place to the battles that occurred long before David faced Goliath.
Where did David get the courage to run towards such a large foe? David’s courage, and character, was formed in the dry hills of Israel watching sheep. Never in a hurry, God was shaping David’s life in the solitude of the open field. There were no armies watching him rescue sheep from the deadly jaws of a bear. No armies on hillsides watching as David killed lions. Just the sheep. But God was at work on David’s inner qualities. David’s life is spilled out on the pages of scripture for the world to see. Thousands of years after David’s death, his life still serves to shape ours.
And so it is with those who choose to create a legacy at the United Methodist Foundation. We’ve had many individuals do this over the years. Some leaving very large amounts of money and others smaller amounts all for the purpose of providing for the future of the church they love.
But my guess is that the decision to make such a gift was not made in haste. Like David, God was quietly shaping the character of teachers and farmers, nurses and lawyers, as well as pastors, fathers, and mothers long before the decision to create an account at UMF was ever made.
It is in God’s schoolroom where we learn to be generous. Holding loosely all things, knowing that all we have belongs to God. Sometimes we have to repeat the course, but in the end, it’s always worth it.
We at UMF know the names of generous donors that many will never know. These donors have graduated from God’s schoolroom to heaven, but their impact is still felt today.
UMF is the vehicle you can use to provide for the future of your church. We exist to help you do that. What type of legacy is God asking you to leave?
This article was submitted by Rich Bowlin, CEO for the United Methodist Foundation, Inc. If you would like more information regarding UMF or starting a Legacy Giving program at your church, you can contact Rich at [email protected].