FRIDAY, JUNE 4
After David had done the will of God in his own generation, he died and was buried with his ancestors.
Acts 13:36 (NLT2)
LOOK AHEAD: GOD PLACES ME ETERNALLY
Dr. James Dobson, in his book Coming Home, writes: When my daughter, Danae, was a teenager, she came home one day and said, “Hey, Dad! There’s a great new game out. I think you’ll like it. It’s called Monopoly.” I just smiled. We gathered the family together and set up the board. It didn’t take the kids long to figure out that old Dad had played this game before. I soon owned all the best properties, including Boardwalk and Park Place. I even had Baltic and Mediterranean. My kids were squirming, and I was loving every minute of it.
About midnight, I foreclosed on the last property and did a little victory dance. My family wasn’t impressed. They went to bed and made me put the game away. As I began putting all of my money back in the box, a very empty feeling came over me. Everything that I had accumulated was gone. The excitement over riches was just an illusion. And then it occurred to me, Hey, this isn’t just the game of Monopoly that has caught my attention; this is the game of life. You sweat and strain to get ahead, but then one day, after a little chest pain or a wrong change of lanes on the freeway, the game ends. It all goes back in the box. You leave this world just as naked as the day you came into it. I once saw a bumper sticker that proclaimed, He who dies with the most toys wins. That’s wrong. It should say, He who dies with the most toys dies anyway. (Dobson)
The possessions and popularity we acquire on this earth are temporary. When King David died, everything he had acquired on this earth was left behind. And even his earthly remains decayed. The only thing that mattered after his death were those spiritual eternal investments he made and his relationship with God.
Reflection
The same will be true of each of us. We will not be able to take any of our physical possessions with us into eternity. The only thing that will matter will be our relationship with God and our spiritual investments. Psalm 116:15 says, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His godly ones.” The death of a Christian is precious in God’s sight because He knows what He has in store for us in heaven, for all eternity, far exceeds any earthly treasures we may possess. None of us want to rush our death, but if you were to die today, do you know for certain you would go to heaven? The only way to know is to place your faith in Jesus and His sacrificial death and resurrection in your place. If you’ve never done that, do it today and let us know at northstarchurch.org/connect.
Praise
Praise God for the hope of heaven and eternity with Him.
