READING: 1 Kings 1-2, Psalms 37, 71, 94
“Then David slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David”
1 Kings 2:10
He had been the king for four decades. He was a man after God’s heart. True, he was hardly a perfect man, but God had specifically called and anointed him for the task. He had extended the kingdom of Israel, and he had established the capital at Jerusalem. To this day, we likely think of him first when we think of the kings of Israel, and he was one of the best known figures of the Old Testament.
And still his body gave way to the effects of sin. Still, he died. Still, he was buried. Still, the world went on.
And that’s the way it works for all of us. We can gain the world, but we still die. All the stuff we gain will be left behind, and someone else will bury us. All our earthly power will disappear with our final breath. Few of us will be remembered like David has been remembered, but even those few memories will be just that – memories . . . that are often fleeting.
So, I am reminded again today that our existence must be more than existence in this world. Thus, what we live for must be more than this world. We must make choices with eternity in mind, knowing that we will stand before our Creator and answer for the way we live. All of us know that truth, but too many of us—beginning with me—live differently. We wrongly focus on the temporary and act as if it were eternal.
ACTION STEPS:
- Make choices today with the understanding that eternity matters.
- Thank God that this world is not the end. If it were, our existence would make little sense.
PRAYER: “Lord, remind me today that I will die someday – and help me to live differently.”
