OUR COMMON DESTINY
- Key Verse
- "...God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself." (Psalm 49:15)
READ THE CHAPTER
Central Truth
All the wealth we can accumulate in this life can't protect us from our common fate: death. God is the only One can bring eternity to our existence.
Reflections
I once witnessed something that I'll never forget: a man being hit by a car. I was 14 years old and I was about to cross an avenue in my home town in Brazil, when a man trying to make some time in his life ran through the traffic and a car struck him. His body landed like a big potato bag. For a long time I tried to figure out why that image had such an impact on me. Years later I came to the understanding that on that evening, for the first time, I faced the crude and cruel reality of human life fragility, and my own vulnerability.
We live our lives as if we are eternal, and when the reality of death strikes us, we are shocked. To live as eternal is something that remained from our similarity to God: "He has also set eternity in the hearts of men" (Ecclesiastes 3:11). But physically, we are closer to death every day. The funny thing is that nothing is more "democratic" than death. It does not matter if we are rich or poor, we all have the same destiny. "For all can see that wise men die; the foolish and the senseless alike perish." (v. 10) Money cannot spare us from this destiny. But sometimes we think it can: a better health care plan, security, comfort, medicines, plastic surgery that money can buy. That’s the reason we tend to love money: we think it can buy us time, but reality is, when that day comes, it's done!
How to break this curse? The psalmist answers, "[t]he ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough - that he should live on forever and not see decay... But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself."
Let’s stop deceiving ourselves. Money does not add one minute to our lives. Let’s invest in what will impact our eternity: a deep and meaningful relationship with God. This is what will last forever.
Discussion Questions
1. How much are you worried about your 401k?2. Are you absolutely sure you will be able to enjoy your retirement?
3. Why are you so concerned about your school grades?
4. How many hours and money have you invested on your kids' sports lives? What is your deeper motivation?
Chip Smith
May 7, 2010 06:41 AM
Thanks Wagner for this great log on perspective. I just recently had a brush with death. This is not the first time. Each time always gives me a better appreciation for the really important aspects of life. Guess what? None have to do with wealth or prestige. I am grateful for those times because it gives me a proper perspective on my priorities, which have a tendency to drift from what is really important. The two scriptures that I have memorized in order to keep my priorities from drifting are: Ephesians 5:17, "Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do." And Philippians 1:10, "For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ's return."
David Skeen
May 7, 2010 08:16 AM
Thanks for these thoughts. My tendency is to envy rich people who have no debts and to worry about my family's needs in years to come. Thank God that we have needs, that we know (or learn) our vulnerabilities; these lead us toward God. It is far better to depend on God than to depend on our accrued wealth.
Val Dugone
May 7, 2010 09:34 AM
Thanks for the reminder on how fragile and temporary this life is, Wagner. This chapter really challenged me as I'm wrestling with aging/the future, etc. - and how great to remember that ultimately God snatches us from the clutch of death and that no amount of planning buys or guarantees us anything. I appreciated your thoughts and wow -the vivid imagery of seeing someone hit by a car... I can understand how that stayed with you for a life time. Thanks for sharing and helping me to get my focus off myself and back to trusting in God.
Mary Ann Gay
May 7, 2010 12:40 PM
Thanks for the encouragement to look forward to eternity and not get caught up in just working for today. Great devo!
Tom
May 7, 2010 02:05 PM
Thanks so much for your devotional, Wagner. It was both sobering and encouraging at the same time - especially this week as we saw a very special friend and sister in the Lord enter into the amazing, awesome and eternal presence of the Lord. What a powerful hope we have in Jesus - it is the "anchor of our souls". Thanks again, Wagner.
Tim Hawks
May 8, 2010 09:00 AM
Thanks, Wagner. A man's life ending like a sack of potatoes tossed into the air is certainly a sobering experience. We feel invincible at times. Yet God is so patient with us and draws us gently into wisdom so that we might know Him.
Diana
May 8, 2010 09:32 AM
Thank you so much for this pertinent reminder. A colleague of mine recently died in a car accident at age forty. He had amazing energy and charisma and moved through life as a force of nature. His abrupt departure was a shock to many including myself. As I reflect on this I am prompted to look hard at what really matters in the present instead of chasing the future. Thank you for your insight.
CJ
May 10, 2010 10:49 AM
I liked your thought about eternity. We live as though we are eternal and want to be like God. I came to the US 10 yrs ago and used to enjoy just staring at my checking account. But now that I am more American the money stays only there for few mins before my mortgate payments and other payments eats up the amount. Better to seek God.