I Samuel 19-20
*Psalm 49
Romans 5
-by Rachel Cain (OH)
“So don’t be dismayed when the wicked grow rich
and their homes become ever more splendid.
For when they die, they take nothing with them.
Their wealth will not follow them into the grave.
In this life they consider themselves fortunate
and are applauded for their success.
But they will die like all before them
and never again see the light of day.
People who boast of their wealth don’t understand;
they will die, just like animals.”
Psalm 49:16-20
So, we spend our lives “buying things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t even like” (Dave Ramsey), filling our homes to the brim, devoting our spare hours to caring for the items and chasing success, only for our family to sell all our prized possessions in an estate sale and future generations forget us soon after we die.
Solomon, son of king David and the richest and wisest man in the world, is believed to have penned this seemingly depressing expression: “Meaningless! Everything is meaningless!” (Ecclesiastes 1:2) Solomon of all people should be the one to love his life! Infinite wisdom AND resources?! Sign me up! And yet Solomon, in all his God-given wisdom, reiterated that nothing of this world matters.
Well, what an encouraging devotion. Nothing matters and we’re all going to die. The end. Thanks for reading!
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(After a devotion about hope yesterday, you didn’t really think I’d leave you hanging in this hopelessness, did you?!)
I recently had the opportunity to hear famous minimalist Joshua Becker speak at a conference. Joshua, a former church pastor, considers himself still to be a pastor of a non-traditional sort: helping people become free from excess so they can truly embrace the freedom to follow God’s design for their lives with their time, money, space, and energy. Joshua emphasized that, because our excess possessions can distract us from knowing and following Jesus, we won’t be able to truly prepare for Jesus until we begin to empty the world from our hearts. He shared that “we can’t keep the world AND gain the kingdom… we were saved for a greater purpose than accumulating material possessions.” And yet, how much more time do most of us spend acquiring and caring for our stuff than seeking and serving God?
As mentioned above, Solomon began Ecclesiastes by calling life “meaningless.” So, is there a point to our existence, then? YES! At the end of the book, he clarifies our sole purpose in life: “Fear God and keep his commandments; this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecc. 12:13)
We were created in Christ Jesus to do good works (Ephesians 2:8-10), not to chase all the nothingness that the world has to offer. In the words of Switchfoot, “we were meant to live for so much more.”
“For he sees that even the wise die;
the fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others.
Their graves are their homes forever…
Man in his pomp will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish.”
Psalm 49:10-12, ESV
Friends, we can chase all the fortune and fame this world has to offer like a cat pouncing a laser light, but none of it will last. Let’s be sure that we are storing up the values of God and not the things of this world. (Matthew 6:19-21)
“Only one life, ‘twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.” – CT Studd
Reflection questions:
What would it involve for you to empty your heart of this world so you can be ready for Jesus?
Are you living in such a way that people who observe your life would notice that you’re chasing Jesus more than this world? If not, what would it look like to change that?
Prayer:
Father, keep our eyes focused on you and the things that truly matter.
Seek Grow Love 