Wealth and Death

Day 295.

Be not afraid when a man becomes rich,
when the glory of his house increases.
For when he dies he will carry nothing away;
his glory will not go down after him.
For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed
—and though you get praise when you do well for yourself—
his soul will go to the generation of his fathers,
who will never again see light.
Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish. (Psalm 49:16-20 ESV)

This past week Steve Jobs (Apple) and Al Davis (owner of Oakland Raiders) died and people around the world are reflecting upon the significance of each. There is no question that each left his mark on our culture, especially Steve Jobs. He revolutionized the way culture lives with the ipod, ipad, and iphone. There is no doubt that his creativity brings glory to God, his creator. Sadly, however, he did not know his creator if what I know about Mr. Jobs is true. He was a believer in Budhism, which does not approach God through Jesus Christ. The Bible is clear about there being no other way to the Father except through the Son, Jesus Christ, whom he sent. That means that for Steve Jobs, it doesn’t matter how many billions of dollars he had in the bank, or how much influence he wielded within our society. None of it does him any good today. According to the Psalmist, he is no better off then a beast. It makes you think about the things in life that you pursue, doesn’t it? After all, compared to eternity, we are only on this earth for the blink of an eye. When you consider life from that perspective, it makes no sense to pursue things that only count for this life.

The great thing is that Jesus tells us to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness (which is with Jesus) and all these other things will be added to you. Pretty freeing stuff, huh?

What goals in life are reflected by the way you spend your time?

Give thanks to God for knowledge of eternity through Jesus Christ!

McCheyne’s Bible Reading Plan: 2 Kings 3, 2 Thes 3, Da 7, Ps 49