Lessons from a Young Rich Man

We’ve all heard the biblical story about the about the rich young man who approached Jesus to ask how to gain eternal life. Jesus’s first reply was “obey my commandments.” The man then assured Jesus that he does obey all the Lord’s commandments! So Jesus looked this young wealthy man straight in the eye and said, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell all that you have and give the money you make to the poor, then you will have treasure in heaven.” 

The rich young man now had a dilemma. If he sold all he had how would he be able to live out his life until his time of death when he would enjoy the treasures of heaven? It didn’t make sense to him. He became, as the Bible says, “very sad.” 

Jesus looked at him standing there, so sad, and he said, “Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.”

How do we, as good generous Christians reconcile this in today’s world? We know that everything that God does is good and He wouldn’t give us anything that will purposely hurt us. The scripture makes it obvious that wealth can be a blessing from God and that when God gives wealth, there is joy and happiness along with it.

The young rich man to chose to keep his wealth? He was probably in his 20s. About 40 years later, the Roman armies destroyed Jerusalem and the lands around it. Homes of wealthy Jews were plundered, and all their riches and possessions taken from them.

The story gives us pause as we consider the attachment we have to the things of this world. But this is a human perspective! From God’s perspective, possessions (wealth) can be considered a blessing if that wealth does NOT separate us from God and is used to spread His mission on Earth.

How can we help you spread His Word?

Why ProChoice is Marketing Genius

The term “pro-choice” is a sticking point for pro-life Christians. Why? Because abortion advocates refer to themselves as “pro-choice” when they are clearly “pro-abortion.”

Hooking together the two positive, uplifting words “pro” and “choice” makes ending a human life sound hopeful, even inspirational. Using the “pro-choice” term in conversation, education, and news stories gives “pro choice” proponents a huge advantage. Reality is, the unborn child is not given a “choice” between living or dying.” Only dying.

Just 17 out of 50 U.S. states mandate that individual mothers be given counseling before an abortion, and those that do focus on (a) the possible link between abortion and breast cancer: 5 states, (b) whether the fetus will feel pain: 12 states, and (c) longterm mental health issues: 8 states. None of these either mention advice or provide resources for getting help to continue with the pregnancy.

In Ohio, abortion is referred to as Health Care. All abortions must be provided by a licensed physician and, if at viability (determined by the the State to be 20 weeks) a second doctor must also be present. In addition to surgical abortion, Ohio also provides the abortion pill. Public funding of abortion in Ohio is limited to life endangerment, rape and incest. The average cost of an abortion in Ohio ranges from $650 to $1,400 based on weeks of gestation, and in almost all cases, private insurance coverage can be used.

Have you noticed that pro-abortion proponents don’t use the term baby? Rather, this tiny living creation of God, this brand new soul made in His image, is called by the Latin name for unborn child: fetus. This removes, yet again, any reference to killing babies.

If the pro-choice/pro-abortion argument interests you, and if you seek a dialogue guide for “how to discuss abortion without invoking religion,” we recommend an article of the same name written by Robert Burke and available here

If you would like to share your thoughts on this topic, we invite you to comment on our Facebook page.

Before I Knew You

With so much in the news about abortion rights, both pro and con, we look back at our blog of June 2016 when, coincidentally, we wrote about the mission of Columbus-based non-profits that promote a culture of protecting innocent human life from conception to natural death. Find our June 2016 blog here.

Fast forward six years to June 2022. There have been some changes —not in moral conscience; we remain faithful to the defense of life— but where the Columbus locations are actively saving lives and where you may want support your pro-life charitable giving. 

The Greater Columbus Right to Life Foundation operates today in eight counties and focuses on a full scope of life issues such as ending abortion, embryonic stem cell research, euthanasia, and physician-assisted suicide. There are ten Columbus-based pregnancy centers.

The Greater Columbus Right to Life community benefits from our support both materially and financially in many ways, but we suggest a legacy gift as part of any overall financial planning. We work with estate planners, financial advisors, accountants and attorneys to enable the “support of life” to be meaningful and sustaining. We are willing for share our vast knowledge of transformational giving with our nonprofit partners, foundations, and funders throughout the Columbus area. It is the large transformational gifts needed for long-term protection of the unborn that bring about the greatest results, but for both the giver and receiver can also be more complex.

Bequests can be as simple as placing a paragraph of instructions in a will, or adding a specific charity to an IRA or life insurance policy. Family foundations allow donors to keep their gifted capital intact while they make smaller annual charitable distributions.

Should you consider the Greater Columbus Right to Life, we hope that you will look to the Stewardship Foundation to lead the conversation.