Unclaimed inheritance

What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? (Matthew 16:26)

There was something different about Morris Siegel, a homeless man in Los Angeles. On the surface, he seemed like your typical street person—roaming dark alleys, sleeping outside, carrying everything he owned in an old shopping cart. And he died the way you’d expect a street person to die—he was found lifeless in an alley, dead by natural causes.

What made Morris different from other homeless people? Maybe it was his three bank accounts that contained a total of $207,421.00!

In 1979, Morris’ father died and left him the money. When Morris did not claim his inheritance, the Division of Unclaimed Property tracked him down, and his family forced him to accept the money. But Morris did not show up for the meeting when the funds were handed over. He took just enough money to buy an old car, which he slept in when the weather was bad. Relatives rented him an apartment, but he never went there. He died on December 14th, 1989, with three dollars in his pocket and an untouched fortune in the bank.

Does that sound crazy? Then try to figure this one out:

Over two thousand years ago, our Savior ratified His last will and testament by dying on the cross. The beneficiaries are the people that He loved—every man, woman, and child. The inheritance guaranteed by His will includes release from guilt, peace with God, patience and strength when life is hard, wisdom and leadership when we don’t know what to do, and the promise of life in paradise after we die.

Yet to this day, most people have not claimed this windfall, or they have refused to make use of it. Lost people shuffle down the blind alleys of an empty existence, wandering closer and closer to eternal suffering while ignoring the riches promised by Christ. But passing on the offer of eternal happiness for a meaningless life and a pointless death, makes no more sense than being a wealthy man who dies alone in a cold, dark alley.