- Lesson 13 in the BaptistWay Press Connect360 unit “Solomon: No Ordinary Kind of Wisdom” focuses 2 Chronicles 9:13-31.
We know, of course, no matter what we have owned in this life, or no matter how fat our bank accounts, there is coming that certain day when we will leave it all behind. The only things that matter are the matters of the heart—the eternal matters that involve our souls.
It is true money can buy lots and lots of stuff. And it is so easy for us to see shiny objects that glitter and zoom around and think, “I have to have that.” There have been many times in my own life I have gotten “new car fever,” or I have been consumed with the latest electronic gadgets. But when is it enough? Money cannot buy the things that truly matter. It cannot buy love, forgiveness, joy, peace or relationships. It cannot buy the matters of the heart. Most importantly, it cannot buy anything beyond this life. Money cannot buy things that are eternal. And it certainly cannot buy us out of our appointment with death.
Invest in eternity
The Bible has much to say about our hearts and our money. Perhaps one of the most famous passages is found in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus said: “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:20-21). Jesus was giving us all a clear warning not to invest our lives and treasures only in the temporary things of this world, but rather to invest in eternal things like the salvation of our own souls and the souls of those around us.
Like Solomon, we prepare our hearts for eternity by placing faith and belief in God, and additionally for us, in God’s only Son Jesus Christ, who died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins. When I was 8 years old, I prayed a simple prayer in which I confessed I was a sinner, expressed my belief in Jesus, and asked Jesus to forgive my sins and to come and live in my heart. I maintain that faith today, some 51 years later. In fact, I am more convinced than ever before of Jesus as “the way, the truth and the life.”
In faith, I hold onto verses like Romans 3:22. Look at how the New Living Translation renders this beautiful Scripture: “We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.”
Faith and belief in Jesus are how we prepare ourselves for that day when they say of us, “and he died.” How about you? Have you trusted in Jesus Christ for your eternal salvation?
Compiled by Stan Granberry, marketing coordinator for BaptistWay Press.
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