Left Behind

Read Proverbs 11

Evil people get rich for the moment, but the reward of the godly will last.

Proverbs 11:18

Hearses do not have trailer hitches—a reminder that when our time comes to take a ride in a hearse, whatever we have amassed on earth is staying right here. Believers and unbelievers alike have the same return on material investments—they will all lie in the dust at the end of our earthly life. While a corporate culprit may take in hoards of ill-gotten gain (holed away in Swiss accounts), a righteous person’s portfolio is more diversified. As any financial advisor will reveal, it is the length of the term, not the amount of the investment, that matters.

Earthly gain for the moment cannot compare to an eternal reward. A virtuous person maintains a heavenly account of spiritual rewards that has thousands upon thousands of years to accrue unlimited interest. Understandably, Wall Street has nothing on heaven. One measures wealth in a teacup over time; the other doles it out in perpetual waves across eternity. The godly can amass untold heavenly wealth from a lifetime of Christlike living.

A WORD FOR TODAY

Godly rewards are long term.

Lord, help me keep my sights set on the long-term benefits of loving and serving you.