These men are headed for utter destruction—their god is their own appetite,
their pride is what they should be ashamed of, and this world is the limit of their horizon.
But we are citizens of Heaven…
Philippians 3:19-20 (Phillips version)
From my brother Jon on this passage— “What’s the key to life?” he said. “Women!” So he gathered one thousand concubines—the most beautiful women in the region—only to discover they weren’t the answer.
“Partying—that’s the key,” he decided. So he imported baboons and peacocks from Africa to entertain his guests, while he kept the wine flowing freely. But after partying for years, he found it empty.
“Power—that’s what will satisfy a man,” he surmised. So he expanded the boundaries of his empire farther than those of any other nation of antiquity. But even then he felt unsatisfied.
He studied philosophy and science—and garnered so much gold that silver was rendered worthless in his kingdom. And yet he declared it all empty.
At last he said, “Power, prosperity, fame, partying, women, wine and education are not the answer.
The only key to life is to fear God” (see Ecclesiastes 12:13). But by then, Solomon’s most productive years were lost, wasted because his god was his belly; his glorying was in his own name; he minded earthly things.
Beware of those who try to get you focused on this life, worried about this life, caught up in this life. They’re enemies of the Cross, for the Cross says, “Forget about yourself. Look toward eternity. Live for heaven.”
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From John Phillips on these verses–
“Right now we are pilgrims and strangers in a foreign land. This world is not our final home. We are here as Heaven’s ambassadors. Every night we pitch our tent a day’s march nearer home. We are never to forget even for a moment where our citizenship lies. The thought of that fair land and its all-glorious King will influence our dress and our deportment. It will help determine what we say, where we go, how we behave, what pleasures we permit, how we invest our talent, what we do with our money, how we treat other people, and the amount of time we spend in worship, service, Bible study, and prayer.”
Maranatha!