Vanity, Vanity

Do not wear yourself out to get rich;have the wisdom to show restraint.Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone,for they will surely sprout wingsand fly off to the sky like an eagle.

Proverbs 23:4-5 (NIV)

It is hard to imagine a generation that’s living more contrary to this proverb. People are driving themselves and wearing themselves out. In most homes both Mom and Dad work long hours just to get ahead. But, sadly, it’s hard to find anyone who feels that enough is enough. The more money you make, the more you spend. I saw a bumper sticker that says, “I owe, I owe; so off to work I go.”

For us as women, we can get caught up in the pursuit of the latest fashions, or trendy décor for our house. That too is a rabbit chase. Last year’s trend often goes in this year’s garage sale box. Vanity, vanity.

To be wise is to know that life is not measured in riches. Contentment is great gain. Those who have it, as Shakespeare said in Hamlet, “could be bounded in a nutshell and count [themselves] a king of infinite space.”

So how can we make the shift? How can we shake free of the rat race?

Jesus gave us wise advice for living in Matthew 6:19-21: “Don’t store up treasures here on earth. . . . Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

This is a good place to remind ourselves that having an eternal perspective will transform all our passions and pursuits.

Two little lines I heard one day, traveling along life’s busy way,

Bringing conviction to my heart, and from my mind would not depart,

Only one life, ’twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one, soon will its fleeting hours be done,

Then, in “that day” my Lord to meet, and stand before His Judgment seat;

Only one life, ’twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.

—C. T. STUDD IN “ONLY ONE LIFE”

One Year Bible Reading

Isaiah 8:1–9:21; 2 Corinthians 12:1-10; Psalm 55:1-23; Proverbs 23:4-5