The song found in our songbooks, “I Want to Be Ready,“ begins with the line of this article.
You may have your worldly pleasures
Your silver and your gold,
You may pile up all the riches
That this old world can hold;
But I’d rather have my Savior
And with Him firmly stand
For I want to be ready to meet Him
In the glory land
I agree completely with the sentiment of the song, one found often in Scripture. Truly, man’s focus ought to be on the spiritual things and eternity rather than on the things of this world. This sentiment is reinforced in the moral teaching of Scripture. “‘Stolen water is sweet, And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.’ But he does not know that the dead are there, That her guests are in the depths of hell” (Proverbs 9:17-18).
Amos prophesied to the Israelites in his day to warn them about the waywardness of the rich, prosperous, lazy and gluttonous nation they had become.
Woe to you who put far off the day of doom, Who cause the seat of violence to come near; Who lie on beds of ivory, Stretch out on your couches, Eat lambs from the flock And calves from the midst of the stall; Who sing idly to the sound of stringed instruments, And invent for yourselves musical instruments like David; Who drink wine from bowls, And anoint yourselves with the best ointments, But are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. Therefore, they shall now go captive as the first of the captives, And those who recline at banquets shall be removed. The Lord GOD has sworn by Himself, The LORD God of hosts says: “I abhor the pride of Jacob, And hate his palaces; Therefore I will deliver up the city And all that is in it.” (Amos 6:3-8)
God created this world for humans to enjoy, for us to find pleasure in it. The sunshine declares the glory of God, and we ought to rejoice with all creation when we see it each morning. However, we should never turn the creation into the creator and honor the things of this world, let alone ourselves, above their Maker (Romans 1:18-22).
[Editor’s Note: The difference in life’s journey contrasts between the narrow and broad ways (Matthew 7:13-14), laying up treasures on earth or in Heaven (Matthew 6:19-21) and a matter of priorities – seeking first the kingdom of God or not (Matthew 6:33-34). There is a crisis of insufficient conviction and conversion – even among members of the churches of Christ. ~ Louis Rushmore, Editor]
