Have you seen the movie, Gone With The Wind? It’s a beautiful classical story regarding love and loss but I won’t go further with the description because I don’t want to spoil the movie’s plot.
Do you know there is also a gone-with-the-wind principle in the Bible?
Ecclesiastes 1:14
I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
Here’s what I mean by that…
When you spend your whole lifetime acquiring material wealth, just one natural disaster like a hurricane, tsunami, or economic collapse can instantly wipe it away.
Your house, cars, properties, bank accounts, and investments will be all gone before you can make sense of it all.
You see, anything that is visible is temporary but what is unseen is eternal.
God said to set our minds on things above, not earthly things. (Colossians 3:2) Anything invested for the heavenly kingdom can never be lost; it will never rust or destroyed by moths, or be stolen unlike things on earth which are subject to these phenomena.
Matthew 6:19-20
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 neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal.
Sadly, despite the great differences, there are still others who would choose the lesser wealth.
REASONS FOR CHOOSING WORLDLY WEALTH:
- Personal Significance
Many people base their self-worth on the amount of personal possessions they have. More money equals more self-worth and respect. If you base your confidence and self-worth on possessions, does that make you any less once you lose it?
Your house and appliances will need repairs eventually. Your cars will be replaced by a new fuel-efficient and better model. Your computers will run slower compared to the newer version with higher gigabytes and storage. Your shiny objects will soon lose their luster and end up in junkyards and landfills.
Well, there goes your self-worth. You no longer have any value. Do you see how this goes?
Your value is based on how God sees you: loved, treasured, and a vessel that can be shaped to its ultimate best in the hands of the Master crafter and potter.
- The Only Life
Another reason for this unwise decision is the belief that life here on earth is the only life there is. They believe that once they die, that is pretty much it. They don’t believe in the afterlife.
Man is composed of 3 components: body, soul, and spirit. The body is the physical body; the soul refers to the mind, emotions, and will; and the spirit is the eternal part that goes to its eternal destination which is either in heaven or in hell.
The soul and the spirit are all housed in the body and once our physical body goes to the ground, both the soul and the spirit leave the physical body and go to its eternal destination and it never dies.
If you don’t believe in this truth and still hang on to the only life here on earth, then you are misled for there are a lot of verses in the Bible that support this.
Here are just a few of the verses:
- Hebrews 9:27-28
Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was
sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to
bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
2. John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever
believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
3. John 5:24
“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has
eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.
4. John 11:25-26
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me
will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.
Do you believe this?”
5. Matthew 10:28
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be
afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
6. Revelation 1:18
I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I
hold the keys of death and Hades.
7. John 14:1-3
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My
Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I
am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for
you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
You live an extravagant lifestyle and enjoy everything that this world can give you, but what is life compared to eternity?
Just like the wind giving you a cool breeze, you enjoy it for a short while and then it’s gone.
If temporary wealth is your primary concern and you don’t want to have anything to do with the Lord, then all of your efforts are simply chasing after the wind. You cannot hold them and it is vulnerable to destruction.
And one last thing to bring this blog post to a close, here is Mark 8:36-38 for you:
Mark 8:36-38
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
If this doesn’t give you a move to change, I don’t know what will.
WHAT IS YOUR DECISION?
Now, if you think about it, what is the better use of your time? Acquiring worldly treasures or things that are eternal? I think we can all agree on what the answer should be.
So with the knowledge, skills, and tenacity that you use in acquiring depreciating wealth, why don’t you invest the same talents in the pursuit of heavenly rewards instead, and hear the Lord’s commendation, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21)
