Psalm 49

There is a familiar refrain in this psalm: “Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me—those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches? No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them—the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough—so that they should live on forever and not see decay. For all can see that the wise die, that the foolish and the senseless also perish, leaving their wealth to others. Their tombs will remain their houses forever, their dwellings for endless generations, though they had named lands after themselves. People, despite their wealth, do not endure; they are like the beasts that perish.” (vs 5-12)

In other words, you can’t take it with you.

In other words, we all end up at the same place.

This psalm holds a clue to the potential problem with wealth: it’s easy for it to become the thing we trust in. It’s easy for wealth to feel like security. It’s easy for wealth to mimic safety. It’s easy for the wealthy to feel independent, when the truth is that we are all dependent upon God for every moment, every breath. (No amount of money can keep us out of the grave.)

When it comes to true wealth, God is the only gold there is. He is the only thing that lasts. All of our safety and security should be wrapped up in Him, not what’s in our house, our bank account, or our garage. When our trust is in Him, then material wealth is a non-issue. Job is a great example of that. Because God was first in his heart, he could be trusted with great wealth, and it wasn’t a problem for him. He used it to freely bless and help others.

But regardless of how much (or how little) we have in this life, we all come to the same ending place, leaving this world the same way we entered it—with nothing, at least nothing material. The only wealth we can carry with us past our final breath in this life is our relationship with God. If we don’t have that, we don’t have anything of any important or lasting value.

So, what kind of wealth have you been working for? Is it the kind that will last?