Proverbs 11:7
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When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish: and the hope of unjust men perisheth.
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"Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?" The Lord of glory used these gentle words to explain our proverb to a rich man, whose biggest worry was storing his increase (Luke 12:15-21).
Worldly men arrive in life naked and ignorant, and they leave the same way. Yet they waste their lives chasing goals that disappear in one second - the second they die! They are blinded by the devil, for they see their friends die and take nothing with them, yet they keep running as fast as they can on the treadmill of ambition, greed, and covetousness until it spits them off into hell! What fools!
Is such speech too harsh for you? It is nothing compared to the shock of the first second in hell! In a horrible flash of understanding, every sinner will know there is a God, his whole life was a waste, and he has an eternity of unbearable torment ahead. Why do you think strong warnings about such a future are harsh? Are you also blinded?
The biggest fool is the successful Christian businessman. He silences his conscience by attending church and throwing a little of his prosperity in the offering plate; but the driving force in his life is the pursuit of social and financial standing. He has the only reward he will ever get - the approval of the little people, who think he is a success. The Lord and all wise men know where he is going, to the fire that is not quenched, and where every man is a pauper, without even a shirt on his back!
The world is insane! They set goals of high salaries, prestigious positions, large houses, fancy cars, fine clothes, and other ridiculous ambitions. They say, "He who dies with the most toys...wins." They chase their neighbors daily to make sure they are not left behind in the mad rush to accumulate things. Then they lose them all in one second!
Consider Psalm 49 carefully. See the Lord ridicule the insanity of the rich and their ambitions. It is a sermon to warn men of the vanity of worldly riches. Whether a man is wise or foolish, he dies like an animal, and cannot take anything with him. He is quickly a clay carcass dumped in a grave, yet his posterity chases the same illusion!
Christian reader, your treasures are in heaven. The death that strips the wicked of everything they hope for brings more than you can dream of! Have you laid up any treasures today toward that investment? Are you willing to give away expectations here to lay up in store a good foundation against the time to come (I Tim 6:17-19)?
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