Your Retirement Plan

This time of year puts a strain on your bank accounts.  We enjoy the gift giving but then comes tax season.  Time to rethink our retirement plans also.

When Joseph was promoted to be an advisor to Pharaoh, the Pharaoh was impressed with the dreams and predictions of this young non-Egyptian. In fact, this Joseph was a former prisoner!  Now with a completely new job in the kingdom, he was the chief financial advisor. 

Joseph explained to Pharaoh that his dreams were warnings from God.  Seven years of abundance followed by seven years of drought.  The solution was to lay up storehouses during the seven years of plenty so that there would be sufficient food in the coming years of famine. 

Pharaoh was so impressed with Joseph’s wisdom that he made him minister over Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself.  Joseph oversaw the building of store houses in which the abundant grain of Egypt… seven years of plenty, was stored.

What about our storehouses?  Do we have a plan? What is our retirement plan?

Life is uncertain, and it is only prudent to lay up savings and provisions.  In Proverbs we read, “In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has (21:20) Contrary to the advice of Joseph, modern society promotes a lifestyle of squandering all available wealth, overspending, and relying on credit.  Though we live in affluent times, few people have the wisdom to lay up savings for leaner times ahead. 

However, Jeshua (Jesus) told his disciples to lay up treasure in heaven instead of on earth. This does not mean that we are not to be prudent and wise with the money we have been given. Yes, we must be careful with our saving and spending. However………………………………………….!!!

            “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “
  (Matt6:19-21)

Our lives on earth can be compared to the seven years of plenty.  We have an abundance of opportunities to do good to others, to repent and practice righteousness, and to give charity to the needy.  Do what we can to help others.

However, these golden years of opportunity are limited.  Whether in seven days, seven years or seventy years, the opportunity to lay up treasure in heaven will vanish.  After we die, our opportunities to do good deeds are gone. 

The world says, “You can’t take it with you.”  The Messiah says that you can!

Jeshua teaches that “you can take it with you” by giving to a worthy charity and investing your time and resources into the things of the kingdom of heaven.  You are storing up your good works in heaven.  When you arrive in the next life, you will be rewarded for your acts of kindness and piety. 

Joseph encouraged all of Egypt to lay up stores and provisions for the lean years to come.  So too we should be storing up our resources in heaven for the years to come!

                                       Now, that’s a good retirement plan!!!