In The Master's Service

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WHAT MATTERS MOST

Elder Wayne Crocker

Jesus said "where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Matthew 6:21). As children of God, where is our treasure? What matters most in our lives? Are we being reasonable regarding the importance we place on various aspects of life?

Just suppose that our particular church has discovered something very unique regarding things the world has to offer. Say we have a plan that will guarantee that those who follow the plan will make five million dollars within two years. There is nothing dishonest about the plan. In fact it is following some principles found in the Bible. Suppose that every individual who is a member, or who has attended service at our church is notified about the meeting to explain these concepts and is convinced that we are telling the truth. What effect would this have on our attendance next Sunday? No doubt every seat would be packed and many would have to stand!

The above scenario illustrates how skewed many of the Lord's people's priorities are. I'm not too sure but what even the more devout Christians among us would make more effort than usual to attend the above meeting. But, really, if the above example were true, how valuable would the millions of dollars be to our joy and happiness?

Most of us would find greater happiness or contentment should the Lord grant us the request found in Proverbs 30:7-9: "Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die: Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain."

The most effective way a person could actually know the relative value of the world's riches and pleasures would be to experience them. Even the pleasures of sin would be known best by those who have partaken of them. But, although experience is the most effective teacher, it is not the best. Lessons learned by experience often bring about dreadful results that can never be overcome. For example, promiscuous conduct many times leads to incurable diseases and even death. Abuse of drugs and alcohol can do the same. Many psychological problems often follow sinful activity.

Thankfully the Lord has not left us without a means of knowing the results of our actions and the value of worldly excesses in contrast to focusing on the more enduring things. King Solomon experienced all the things that the world has to offer. Toward the end of life, as he looked back on the things of the world under the sun, he tells us they are vanity and vexation of the spirit.

Ecclesiastes chapter two shows us that Bill Gates today, relatively speaking, has nothing on Solomon. King Solomon had his great houses, all sorts of entertainment, vineyards, orchards, lakes, gold and ilver. He partook of the sensual pleasures of sin. After his experience, he, by Divine inspiration lets us know that when the mind is directed toward things of this world only, the end is vanity and vexation of the spirit.

Lasting joy and happiness will always be allusive unless we look beyond this world. But, if we have our eyes focused upon the hills from whence cometh our help (Psalm 121:1) it will enable us to find a degree of pleasure in the comforts and blessings from the Lord, in the natural realm as well as the spiritual. Try as we may we will never be able to know all about the wonderful works of God, so Solomon wrote: "I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to do good in his life, And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God" (Ecclesiastes 3:12-13).

In closing out the book, Solomon said: "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). This is really what matters most!

To realize that our Lord by His wonderful grace has prepared for us an eternal city where joy and peace will be forever, enables us to have life more abundantly while we live in this world. Even though the enjoyments of this life will vanish, they are not all vanity and vexation of our spirit when we have our eyes upon Christ. They are His gifts. But they are not to be compared with what awaits us farther on.