Money, Wealth, Power, and
Eternity
What really matters
“What good is it for a man to gain the
whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” –Jesus Christ
We strive and
yearn for money all day long--but for what purpose? To acquire the things we
want in order to fulfill our needs and make us happy.
Will money, and wealth, and power really meet
our needs though? Are we even aware of what our needs really are? And once we
have money and wealth and even power—will it really do us any good?
Perhaps the
reason so many rich, powerful and famous people descend into drugs and
alcoholism is that deep down inside they sense the things they have are really very
empty and temporal—a vain chasing after the wind. They experience
disappointment after having acquired these things and go into denial that they
still are not fulfilled and at peace. So they must put up an act and pretend
that having these things is some sort of an accomplishment and that it really
means something. So the game goes on, the act perpetuates itself and the more
money and fame they get, the emptier they feel. The more empty they feel, the
more money and power they seek. It is a vicious circle that is destined for
total collapse.
And even if
these things did mean something—they are only here in this life and will be
left behind when we die. As the saying goes, “you can’t take it with you.”
"Naked I came from my
mother's womb, and naked I will depart.”
--Job 1:21
Consider your
life compared to all of infinite eternity. What is the most a human lives? A
hundred years? The average is much less. How much of your own life is already
gone that you can never get back?
We will all
die one day. The grave is the common destiny of all mankind-- rich or poor, old
or young, famous or infamous, educated or uneducated, black or white, red or
yellow, brown or pink, no matter whether you are a millionaire or struggle just
to put food on the table, no matter what background, whether you have an easy
life or a hard one, no matter what—WE ALL DIE. Nobody gets out of life
alive--And no body escapes having to stand before Christ. This is all mankind’s
destiny.
Just as man is destined to die once,
and after that to face judgment, --Hebrews
9:27
Remember
youth as
you
pass by
As
you are now so
once
was I
As
I am now so you
must
be
Prepare
for death
and
follow me
After we die, we all face Jesus Christ. There is no avoiding it.
It’s just a question of time. We will all see Him with our own eyes—yes, even
those who pierced him 2000 years ago. You, me, everybody--this is our destiny.
We are all on this same road whether we like it or not. The train of time is
moving forward and it cannot be stopped or even slowed down. The clock has been
irreversibly set in motion.
Consider the words of king Solomon, who had wealth beyond
dreams. In the end he came to only one conclusion:
Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.
For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.
--Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
Our life here
is so short and quickly vanishes—a mist trapped in a little dust. But there is
something that will never perish, spoil, or fade—the eternal life God gives us
in His kingdom through His Son, Jesus Christ. It is worth far more than all the
wealth and power in the world combined! Imagine all the glory, power and wealth
man can create. Eternal life in Christ makes all other things look like manure!
What is worth
striving after? What is worth seeking for? Consider all the effort we invest in
this life—in something that will not last. Why not invest instead in the
eternal world to come?
"Do not store up for
yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves
break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth
and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
– Matthew 6:19-20
"The kingdom of heaven is like
treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in
his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.
When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and
bought it.
– Matthew 13:44-46
Command those who are rich in
this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope
in wealth, which is so
uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with
everything for our enjoyment.
Celebrities
SHERMAN HEMSLEY, KIM BASINGER, LORRAINE BRACCO, TONI
BRAXTON, M.C. HAMMER, BURT REYNOLDS, DEBBIE REYNOLDS…
Recent
Headlines:
WORST STOCK MARKET IN 30 YEARS
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."
And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced
a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store
my crops.'
"Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build
bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to
myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life
easy; eat, drink and be merry." '
"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be
demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'
"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but
is not rich toward God."
–Luke 12:15-21
Do not
love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of
the
Father is not in him. For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man,
the lust
of his
eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but
from the world. The world and its desires
pass away, but the man who does the will of
God lives forever.
–1John 2:15-17
Consider how
many billions of people have already come and gone before you. One day, you too
will join them. What will you have to show? What will be your hope as you now
face eternity with this world completely behind you? Only one thing will matter
then. Only one thing really matters now—whether or not you are in Christ, “in
whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Colossians 2:3)
the mystery that has been kept hidden
for ages and generations, but is now disclosed
to the saints. To them God has chosen
to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ
in you, the hope of glory.
–Colossians 1:26-27
Now to him who is able to
establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ,
according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now
revealed
and made known through
the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God,
so that all nations might believe
and obey him.
—Romans 16:25-26
Praise be to the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given
us new birth into a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
and into an inheritance that can never
perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you,
who through faith are shielded by
God's power until the coming of the salvation that
is ready to be revealed in the last
time.
–1Peter 1:3-5
God has given us a salvation plan through the Scriptures. If we obey,
we will live. How does one obey this gospel? How does one “get in” on this
eternal life, this “new birth”? How
does one enter the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ? Another way to ask
this question is to ask, “What must I do to be saved?” Click here to learn.
|