"and said: 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The
Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.'" -
Job 1:21
Stanley Kresge was born on June 11, 1900 in Detroit, Michigan. He graduated from
Albion College in 1923 and went to work for his father's company, the S.S.
Kresge Company. The S.S. Kresge Company later changed its name to K-Mart. For
much of his entire life, Stanley Kresge was very wealthy man. But he was not
spoiled by his inherited wealth. He was a Christian philanthropist who maximized
that fortune. During his lifetime he gave away hundreds of millions of dollars
to others, and especially to his church. When he died in Detroit at the age of
85, his pastor said this in the eulogy: "He considered what he had as a trust
from God, and that he was a steward of all that God had given to him." Before
his death, Kresge told a newspaper reporter why he never let it be known how
much of his personal fortune he had given away. He said, "I'd be embarrassed to
have anybody think I was bragging about charity." But quietly and consistently,
all of his check payments and charitable contributions were signed exactly the
same way: "In the name and for the sake of Jesus Christ, Stanley S. Kresge."
We come into and leave this world with no material possessions. The only true
measure of wealth is our ability to praise the Lord throughout our life. Are you
going through difficult financial times? Today in prayer, let Job's words be the
prayer of your heart "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will
depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be
praised."
"The real measure of our wealth is how much we'd be worth if we lost all our
money." - J.H. Jowett
God's Word: "Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all
kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his
possessions." - Luke 12:15
By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2002, Devotional E-Mail DEVOTIONS IN JOB
pkennedy@devotional.com
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