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Eternal Legacy

Today's Devotional





I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners. Ecclesiastes 5:13

As Dust Bowl sandstorms ravaged the United States during the Great Depression, John Millburn Davis, a resident of Hiawatha, Kansas, decided to make a name for himself. A self-made millionaire with no children, Davis might have invested in charity or economic development. Instead, at great expense, he commissioned eleven life-size statues of himself and his deceased wife to stand in the local cemetery.

“They hate me in Kansas,” Davis told journalist Ernie Pyle. Local residents wanted him to fund the construction of public facilities like a hospital, swimming pool, or park. Yet all he said was, “It’s my money and I spend it the way I please.”

King Solomon, the wealthiest man of his day, wrote, “Whoever loves money never has enough,” and “as goods increase, so do those who consume them” (Ecclesiastes 5:10–11). Solomon had grown keenly aware of the corrupting tendencies of wealth.

The apostle Paul also understood the temptation of wealth and chose to invest his life in obedience to Jesus. Awaiting execution in a Roman prison, he wrote triumphantly, “I am already being poured out like a drink offering . . . . I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:6–7).

What lasts isn’t what we chisel in stone or hoard for ourselves. It’s what we give out of love for each other and for Him—the One who shows us how to love.

What will others remember about you? What changes might you need to make as you ponder your eternal legacy?

Heavenly Father, please help me pour out my life for others in some small way today.

INSIGHT

In Ecclesiastes, Solomon has a lot to say about material wealth. He also devotes a hundred or so sayings in the book of Proverbs to the subject of riches and money. Material wealth can either be a blessing (Proverbs 10:22) or a curse (30:7-9), depending on how one relates to it (see Deuteronomy 8:7-19). God warns us not to get rich by wrongdoing or unjust means (Proverbs 15:27; 22:16; 22:22-23). We’re to seek wisdom rather than wealth (3:13-15; 8:10-11; 16:16), for the godly life is better than the good life. Right living is better than rich living (15:16; 16:8; 28:6). Money is a fleeting commodity that gives us false security (23:4-5; 27:24; Ecclesiastes 5:10-11). Rather, we need to invest for eternity. Jesus says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where . . . thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19-20).

By |2024-03-15T02:33:15-04:00March 15th, 2024|
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