1 Corinthians 4:1-2Amplified Bible (AMP) Servants of Christ 4 So then, let us [who minister] be regarded as servants of Christ and stewards (trustees, administrators) of the mysteries of God [that He chooses to reveal]. 2 In this case, moreover, it is required [as essential and demanded] of stewards that one be found faithful and trustworthy.

1. CHARACTER
A.gftg.r, Christian financial planner and CSO Russ Crosson discusses ihe importance
flof inculcating "social capital" (a good name or reputation) into those who will come
after us:
Good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent. Most talenrs are, to some
",1laifi:tl
gift. Good charactei, by contrast, is not givJn to or. v. h"ue io b"ili it piece
by piece-by thought, choice, courage, and determination.
-John
Luther
You can't leave character in a trust account. You can't write your values into the will. You
can'i bank traits like courage, honesty, and compassion in a safe-deposit box.
'w'hat
we
need is a plan-a long-term strategy to convey our convictions to the next generation.
-Tim
Kimmel
Jhe
q1ot91b1John Luther and Tim Kimmel are quite intriguing. They both clearly state
thatmbney does not buy character. On the contrary, they shoul that character is devel-
oped by the.strategic investment of time over a long period. No shortcuts, no amount of '
mofly, can reverse, this principle. Character development simply takesrtime.
However, many parEnts have lived their lives in a hurry, arnassing plenty of financial
capital only to realizq too late that those they would leavi the -o.r.yio (their children)
have no character ...
'What
are some of the critical character, or social cap-
ital, building blocks needed by our posterity for them to
be effective, positive, productive *.*b.rc of society? The
list would include a work ethic, responsibilitg manners,
sacrifice, stewardship, teachability, accountabilit y, loyal-
ty, integrity, learning trade-offs, honesty, discipline, abil-
tty to interact with adults, endurance, courage, morality,
and self-esteem. Although one can h"u" gooj.o.iat capi-
tal without spiritual capital, ir seems that the long-rerm
motivation for social capital flows from spiritual capital,
t.e., trom principles ...
If we do not build character qualities into our chil-
dren, a duty that takes time and may or may not take
money, then we will continue to see a decline in our soci.
ety. In a 1992 article in World magazine, Chuck Colson
stated it this way: "The values .roIio., is'largely respon-
srble for the economic problems now facing the nation.,,
He illustrated this by noting that an epidemic of crime is
costing billions, family breakdowns are cosring billions
more, and abandonment of the work ethic ha3 meant loss
of billions in producrivity.
Values are foundational to any sociery. I hope it won't
be said of us that.we have deterilrated io the point that
we do not foius on values at all.
t .What,valueS
do j;-ou see
dti.yiqg your soiiety?
'What
kind of. fname"
do you,want to liave be-
hind?
I What can yoir do to en-
Sure that your values are
in place in your children
or those who you are re-
sponsible for?
List the character qualities
that you feel are important
for the following genera-
tions io exhibit. Then look
ouer your list and dei,ter-
mine how you might em-
body some of these qualities
in order to pass.them on.
GO TO PAGE A19 FOFI THE NEXT EXPLOFIING STEWAFIDSHIP
rr,,,,. GO TO PAGE 825 FOB THE NEXT EXPLORING STEWARDSHIP: CiaieCren