“So don’t be dismayed when the wicked grow rich and their homes become ever more splendid. For when they die, they take nothing with them. Their wealth will not follow them into the grave.” (Psalms 49:16-17, NLT). This passage may not seem encouraging at first since it is about judgment on the wicked, but I think it is one of the most encouraging truths in Scripture. Ungodly wealth and status will disappear forever when the ungodly die.
We often observe that compromising, unscrupulous, or faithless people become successful in this life. And godly people often do not become prosperous. But God assures us that this is not the end of the story. Everyone will be judged one day (2 Cor. 5:10) and everyone “will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body” (2 Cor. 5:10, NLT). Finances may be a trial for you now, but that all disappears forever when you die. You will have more “wealth” than all the gold in the world!
God has promised a new and better Garden of Eden for our eternal dwelling. As we absorb all this our hearts naturally lose their desire for the advantages of ungodly wealth and status. If God blesses us in our vocation that is fine, but if we don’t become a model of success, we are just as thankful for what we have now and will have on the New Earth. Then, God will distribute prosperity to whom it belongs, and prosperity in this life means very little by comparison.
What is your heart response when you observe the advantages of ungodly wealth and status?
