Having It All?

Have you ever considered the possibility of having everything that you could possibly want? Let's say you have an infinite amount of money, the mansion, the automobiles, the vacations, the clothes, the jewelry, the spouse, the family, and even the health-- just everything you want in life in immeasurable amounts. What else would you do after you have all your desires filled? Most of you will agree that having love, health and other immaterial things is far more important than possessing material possessions. And, so many models of success for attaining material goals exist that anyone who can read can certainly benefit from following paths prescribed by those who run successful businesses. For example, Zig Zigler says, You can have everything in life that you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want. But, what if you already have everything life has to offer? According to the Center for Disease Control's National Center for Health Statistics, life expectancy for U.S. residents is 77.6 years. This record expectancy is good news for you. For the people who have everything they ever wanted, this statistic seems especially good; however, these people are going to enjoy their earthly pleasures for only seven or eight decades before the reaper pays them a call. They may leave a handsome inheritance to others, but the others will certainly face the same question of what to do after all their desires are filled. Even a brief study of the treasures in a museum, the prized possessions of ancient greats, gives you a pretty good idea of what happens to the precious goods of the past. Or, consider an auction that sells material possessions for a fraction of their original value. You see your descendants' goods; but, where are they who knew, loved, and appreciated these things? Matthew 6:19-21 offers this advice for those who want to possess everything on earth: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." The idea that wealth is a sign of God's favor and that the poor have done something to deserve their condition persists as an undercurrent today that is sometimes used to justify callous economic and social policies. Many believe the poor are cursed, certainly not blessed by God.

Still, craving for wealth and possessions can lead you into all kinds of temptation. You may spend evenings and weekends earning extra money while depriving your family of love and attention. You may cheat on your taxes. You may take unfair advantage of your customers, employers, or employees. Truly, money (or the love of money) can become the root of all evil when used for solely personal gain.

Those who are blessed with a wealth of material goodness are certainly not inherently wrong or evil. To use wealth to help others less fortunate is Christian. You may know that material things are merely tools to express Christ's love and to grow closer to him. The relationship of wealth to faith seems to depend upon what you do with excess. You must realize, though, that material possessions have no eternal value.They are means to attaining worldly ideals.

If you have everything that you could possibly want, it may be time to concentrate on an eternal reward. Seventy-eight years of life on earth seems minuscule when weighed against your eternal life expectancy.