ON CHRISTIANITY

By BILLY GRAHAM

Posted: September 6, 2012 at 3:44 a.m.

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LITTLE ROCK — DEAR REV. GRAHAM: We’d always planned for a comfortable retirement, but we’re getting very little interest from our savings accounts now and we’re barely making it. Now, someone we met at a fi nancial seminar is promising us very generous returns if we invest with him. Is it wrong to want more money at this stageof our lives?

• S.P.

DEAR S.P.: No, it’s not necessarily wrong to want to be comfortable and secure, especially in retirement. I often think of the little prayer in Proverbs: “Give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs” (Proverbs 30:8, NLT).

I can’t advise you about your fi - nances, of course. However, I would caution you about going into any investment that sounds too good to be true - because it probably is. In addition, be on your guard against greed (although you may not even realize it has taken hold of your thinking), because it always will lead you down the wrong path. I suggest you seek advice about your whole financial situation from a trusted fi nancial professional.

Be on guard also against undue worry or anxiety; they can consume you if you aren’t careful. Instead, learn to pray and trust your future into God’s hands. He knows your needs, and He can be trusted to supply them. Remember Jesus’ words: “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear ... Your heavenly Father knows that you need them” (Matthew 6:25, 32).

Ask God also how He wants you to spend your retirement years. Make sure of your commitment to Christ, and then be open to new ways you can serve Him by helping others. No matter how young or old we are, life’s greatest joy comes from living for Christ.

Write to Billy Graham in care of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, N.C. 28201 or visit the website at billygraham.org

Weekend, Pages 30 on 09/06/2012

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