When I was in the Eighth grade, Nike had come out with the Air Jordan 3’s. There wasn’t anything else in the world I wanted more. I went to my parents, but they couldn’t afford an unheard of cost of $100 for a pair of shoes. Their price was $25 for a pair. Anything over that was my responsibility. So I grabbed the lawnmower and started knocking on doors. It took a while at $10 a yard, but I saved up enough to buy them. I was so proud of them and took them to my first out of town basketball tournament. That night someone pulled the fire alarm at 2:00 AM. The only thing I cared about was the shoes. I grabbed them and ran out. They were my prize possession for about three months until I grew out of them.
Job was a man who worked hard and became wealthy. As you probably know, he lost everything he owned in a day, including his children. Then he got a terrible skin disease. His wife told him to curse God and die. Then his friends came along accusing him of sinning against God bringing all this on himself. When he wasn’t defending himself, he became very reflective and introspective. He also got a little defiant. He learned what really mattered in life through his experience. When he got the proper perspective, God set things right in his life and protected him from the attack he was under.
Psalm 39:6 says, “All our activities and energies are spent for things that pass away. We gather, we hoard, we cling to our things, only to leave them all behind for who knows who” (TPT). What’s important to you in this life? Will it last for eternity? We spend so much time and effort trying to acquire this world’s wealth or items that give us status here, yet it’s what’s done for eternity is what matters. We need to take time to reflect as Job did. What changes do we need to make so that we’re not walking up to God’s throne empty handed? There’s nothing wrong with having things and acquiring wealth. Just make sure you’re laying up treasures in Heaven as well.
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Devotions by Chris Hendrix 