I heard the news on Friday- R.J. Corman had died.
For those of you that aren't from this part of the world, R.J. Corman was a big name here in Central Kentucky. He was a quiet man with a great mind for business who built up a great company, employing 1100 people and bringing economic prosperity to this area. He was very generous- donating lots of money to various causes, establishing Nicholasville's first hospital among other things.
He had photos taken with high school students, high school athletes, and from what I can tell, was a very good man.
I drove over past his property the other day on my way to Wilmore. It was still here. Now, it belongs to someone else.
King Solomon realized this 4000 years ago. He wrote about it in the book of Ecclesiastes- his masterpiece on the meaning of life. He wrote "I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless." (Ecclesiastes 2:8-9)
In the end, everything we work for simply becomes someone else's property. Someone else will benefit from the work of our hands, from our amassing of wealth and property, from all of the stress and the shopping and the purchasing and all the other stuff that goes with it. We die. It all stays here.
I was sitting on my back porch, thinking how grateful I was to be the owner of my house and land. Then it hit me, "I wonder how many people have owned this very piece of land?" Probably quite a few. They're gone. The land is still here. I'm the owner now, and when I'm gone, someone else will own it.
In the end . . . . it all stays here.
Whether we are rich or poor, it all stays here.
All of Kim Kardashian's property and money will someday belong to someone else. All of Bill Gates' property and money will someday belong to someone else. And, like Solomon observes, who knows whether that person will be wise or a fool?
So, the next question we must ask is, "Why do we knock ourselves out to acquire things that we can't keep? Why do we hold property and money and possessions in such high regard?" It's all meaningless, like Solomon observes. It all goes to someone else.
In the end . . . . it all stays here.
If you want to get REALLY cynical about it, we are basically little fleas claiming ownership over parts of the dog they inhabit. In reality, they don't own the dog. They don't own anything. They live, claim ownership, and then they die . . . . and another flea takes its place, claiming ownership, living, and then dying . . . . and another flea takes its place, and the cycle continues.
If we could truly gain this perspective, I believe we would live very differently.
We would be less impressed by someone's bank account.
We would be less impressed by someone's larger house.
We would be less impressed by the glitz and glam paraded in front of us by the media 24/7.
We would be less desirous of material gain, realizing that we are simply managers of God's property for a very little while.
We would be more aware of Who the owner truly is.
See, there is not one thing on this planet that I can honestly call, "Mine." Not one thing. Not my house, not my car, not my money, not my clothes, not my cell phone . . . . nothing. Not one single solitary thing. Because one day I will be gone. It will still be here.
In the end . . . . it all stays here.
God is the only one who can truly say "Mine." He owns it all. It's all His. Every dollar, every square inch of real estate, every mountain, every molecule of water, every atom of hydrogen- EVERYTHING. It's all His. When we realize this, I truly believe we will live much simpler, humbler, generous lives.
It really makes no difference what we believe on this subject. We all live, we all die, and all our stuff just stays here.
So, knowing this fact, we can live wisely or we can live foolishly. The choice is up to us. The only things that we can carry with us into eternity are the things we've done to bring glory to Jesus Christ. The Bible calls this, "Storing up treasure in heaven." That is the only thing we take with us. That is the only thing that truly belongs to us.
Every generous gift to another human being is a treasure that will matter for eternity.
Every prayer said for a hurting person is a treasure that will matter for eternity.
Every time you share your faith with a non-Christian person is a treasure that will matter for eternity.
Every act of love done selflessly is a treasure that will matter for eternity.
Every worship song you truly sing to God, every uncool person you stand up for, every orphan you adopt, every widow you write a letter to, every time you open your home to provide hospitality to lonely people- it is a treasure that will matter for eternity.
Every welcoming smile on a Sunday morning at church is a treasure that will matter for eternity.
Every honest answer you give, even when it hurts, is a treasure that will matter for eternity.
There are multitudes more that I could list. When I see those things, it grieves my soul to see so many people running after things that will simply stay here when they die, not realizing that they could have treasure that matters for eternity for a lot less.
Because in the end . . . . it all stays here.
All, except of course, the things that will matter for eternity. That's where the true wealth and treasure is.
For those of you that aren't from this part of the world, R.J. Corman was a big name here in Central Kentucky. He was a quiet man with a great mind for business who built up a great company, employing 1100 people and bringing economic prosperity to this area. He was very generous- donating lots of money to various causes, establishing Nicholasville's first hospital among other things.
He had photos taken with high school students, high school athletes, and from what I can tell, was a very good man.
I drove over past his property the other day on my way to Wilmore. It was still here. Now, it belongs to someone else.
King Solomon realized this 4000 years ago. He wrote about it in the book of Ecclesiastes- his masterpiece on the meaning of life. He wrote "I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless." (Ecclesiastes 2:8-9)
In the end, everything we work for simply becomes someone else's property. Someone else will benefit from the work of our hands, from our amassing of wealth and property, from all of the stress and the shopping and the purchasing and all the other stuff that goes with it. We die. It all stays here.
I was sitting on my back porch, thinking how grateful I was to be the owner of my house and land. Then it hit me, "I wonder how many people have owned this very piece of land?" Probably quite a few. They're gone. The land is still here. I'm the owner now, and when I'm gone, someone else will own it.
In the end . . . . it all stays here.
Whether we are rich or poor, it all stays here.
All of Kim Kardashian's property and money will someday belong to someone else. All of Bill Gates' property and money will someday belong to someone else. And, like Solomon observes, who knows whether that person will be wise or a fool?
So, the next question we must ask is, "Why do we knock ourselves out to acquire things that we can't keep? Why do we hold property and money and possessions in such high regard?" It's all meaningless, like Solomon observes. It all goes to someone else.
In the end . . . . it all stays here.
If you want to get REALLY cynical about it, we are basically little fleas claiming ownership over parts of the dog they inhabit. In reality, they don't own the dog. They don't own anything. They live, claim ownership, and then they die . . . . and another flea takes its place, claiming ownership, living, and then dying . . . . and another flea takes its place, and the cycle continues.
If we could truly gain this perspective, I believe we would live very differently.
We would be less impressed by someone's bank account.
We would be less impressed by someone's larger house.
We would be less impressed by the glitz and glam paraded in front of us by the media 24/7.
We would be less desirous of material gain, realizing that we are simply managers of God's property for a very little while.
We would be more aware of Who the owner truly is.
See, there is not one thing on this planet that I can honestly call, "Mine." Not one thing. Not my house, not my car, not my money, not my clothes, not my cell phone . . . . nothing. Not one single solitary thing. Because one day I will be gone. It will still be here.
In the end . . . . it all stays here.
God is the only one who can truly say "Mine." He owns it all. It's all His. Every dollar, every square inch of real estate, every mountain, every molecule of water, every atom of hydrogen- EVERYTHING. It's all His. When we realize this, I truly believe we will live much simpler, humbler, generous lives.
It really makes no difference what we believe on this subject. We all live, we all die, and all our stuff just stays here.
So, knowing this fact, we can live wisely or we can live foolishly. The choice is up to us. The only things that we can carry with us into eternity are the things we've done to bring glory to Jesus Christ. The Bible calls this, "Storing up treasure in heaven." That is the only thing we take with us. That is the only thing that truly belongs to us.
Every generous gift to another human being is a treasure that will matter for eternity.
Every prayer said for a hurting person is a treasure that will matter for eternity.
Every time you share your faith with a non-Christian person is a treasure that will matter for eternity.
Every act of love done selflessly is a treasure that will matter for eternity.
Every worship song you truly sing to God, every uncool person you stand up for, every orphan you adopt, every widow you write a letter to, every time you open your home to provide hospitality to lonely people- it is a treasure that will matter for eternity.
Every welcoming smile on a Sunday morning at church is a treasure that will matter for eternity.
Every honest answer you give, even when it hurts, is a treasure that will matter for eternity.
There are multitudes more that I could list. When I see those things, it grieves my soul to see so many people running after things that will simply stay here when they die, not realizing that they could have treasure that matters for eternity for a lot less.
Because in the end . . . . it all stays here.
All, except of course, the things that will matter for eternity. That's where the true wealth and treasure is.
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