Bank executive, philanthropist and oil fortune heir David
Rockefeller died on Monday morning March 20th. He was 101. The grandson of John D.
Rockefeller Sr. and a former chairman and CEO of The Chase Manhattan Bank, died
in his sleep of apparent congestive heart failure.
Rockefeller was born in June of 1915. He graduated from
Harvard in 1936 and earned a doctorate in economics from the University of Chicago
in 1940. He was reported to be valued at
some 3.3 billion dollars at his death. And he is credited with giving away some
$2 billion to various causes along the way. He had pledged
to donate at least half of his fortune during his life or in his will. The
entire family today is said to be worth an estimated at about 11 billion dollars
in all.
It is hard for the average person to begin to fathom
possessing a fortune like this or anything even close. According to an article
in Inside Wealth, the U.S. today has a total of some 10.4 millionaires. And there are now 145,000 U.S. households worth $25 million or more. And another source state that, as of 2016, there were 540 billionaires in
the US.
The U.S. Census Bureau reported that almost
12% of households in the U.S.
now earn between $100,000 - $150,000 yearly.
But wealth is a
relative thing. In some places in the world, there are those who are considered
filthy rich who would fall well below the poverty level in America. And
then, tragically, there are those who are unable to make any living at all and
exist on the literal verge of starvation and death – with some losing that battle daily. One
source said that about 21,000 die of hunger each day and over 7 ½ million each
year.
But what does the
Bible teach about the place of money in the lives who have it in abundance or
may have more than they need to live?
There is no clearer passage on that question than the one seen in 1Timothy
6:19. “Command those who are rich in
this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the
living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that
they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation
for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”
Then too, in Hebrews
13 we find that the worship God includes words about sharing with others
who may be in need. Verse 15 begins. “Therefore by Him let us continually offer
the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks
to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such
sacrifices God is well pleased.” But how many of us
ever consider that our sharing with others in need is a literal form of
sacrifice and worship to our God?
In Revelation 3
we read of the Laodicean church. It is labeled ‘The Lukewarm Church’. And many
Bible scholars feel this is referring to the overall church of our modern day.
But even if not, it still warms about having an attitude where material
prosperity interferes with, or totally overshadows, spiritual maturity and the
priority of a God-centered life for a Christian.
For those who
have the means to help others materially speaking, some specific, interesting and
encouraging promises are offered in Psalm 41:1-3. And perhaps this is worthy of
serious and prayerful consideration in light of what is declared there.
“Blessed is he
who considers the poor;
The LORD will
deliver him in time of trouble.
The LORD will
preserve him and keep him alive,
And he will be
blessed on the earth;
You will not
deliver him to the will of his enemies.
The LORD will strengthen
him on his bed of illness;
You will sustain
him on his sickbed.”
Bill Breckenridge
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