Rush Limbaugh died recently of lung cancer that had been diagnosed in 2020. He was a beloved radio personality. Well, beloved by some and hated by others. He was brash, bold, loud at times as well as articulate and knowledgeable. He was the champion of conservatism and was also a very wealthy man. Forbes had listed his 2018 earnings at $84.5 million dollars.
I don't know where you are on the wage scale spectrum, but to me $84.5 million is a good chunk of change. I'm the guy who, at least for now, thinks that one million is a lot. For now.
Us common folk see figures like $84.5 million and we can't imagine such a sum of cash. We'd be lost in the maintenance of so much money. Have you ever stopped to think about what you'd do with so much cash? Think about it. After you'd bought all the fun stuff like a new house, car and cell phone, or the ring or trip you've always wanted, what would you do with the $84 million left over?
You can't put it into the bank because the FDIC only insures funds up to $200,000. Plus, the bank gives crummy interest rates! A friend of mine kept $74,000 in his credit union for nearly a year and got a whopping $4.23 dividend after all those months! Absurd!
Where am I going with the rich conversation? Just thinking about what I read in James this morning. James 5:1 Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.
Poor Rush. He had been married four times! Another "poorer" radio personality that died recently was Larry King. He was worth only $2.5 million. He won the "number of times married" award, however, with seven broken vows!! Neither Rush nor Larry professed a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Their riches do them no good now. And Larry's will is already being contested by his estranged seventh wife.
I guess that my point is this, money is nice. Marriage is nice. A lot of money doesn't save a marriage nor do a lot of marriages save money. Being rich with multiple dollar signs after your name is no guarantee that you made the grade in life. When your eyes close in death your investments are meaningless to you.
One of the Psalms written by the sons of Korah put it this way, "For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness" (Psalm 84:10).
No matter how much you are worth monetarily, in the end it is where you invested your time with Almighty God that counts. By that I don't mean that doing good things is going to earn you a spot in heaven. It won't. What earns you a place with God is how you viewed his Son Jesus Christ. Jesus was poor. Dirt poor. Paul once said this about him in 2 Corinthians 8:9, For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
How did that exchange work? Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice in two ways. He left heaven's glory to become a man. Then he laid on a cross and surrendered his life in death. He was ultimately rich for eternity past, he became poor for thirty three years. He died penniless and condemned as a criminal. But, then he did something amazing. No, more than amazing! He conquered sin and death.
He transfers his riches to the account of those who will trust in him. $2.5 million? $84.5 million?? Mere pittances! Chump change. Total poverty, compared to the inexplicable riches found in Jesus Christ. James says that the rich are like wild flowers. They are lovely while they last. It's just that they don't last very long. Then they're gone. I remember an old saying that went like this, "Only one life, t'will soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last." So, invest wisely.
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