Are You Investing For Retirement?

“Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am." Psalm 39:4 People hardly think of their end. They're busy with the concerns and interests of life, and because their focus is on their interests, their whole life is taken up with all the efforts that go into it. Some go a whole lifetime without a thought of God, or of one's fate after his death. King David who penned this psalm prays for understanding on this very thing. He knows that if he keeps in mind that there are to be a certain number of days in his life and no more, then that understanding will guard all he does. This is wisdom. Further, David asks that the Lord keep in David's mind his frailty. When a man rises to fame and power, his frailty is the last thing he thinks of. It is nigh to impossible for a man to achieve wealth and high position without his pride taking over him. A person begins to think that he achieved this position by his own greatness, his own intelligence, his own skills. Once a man begins to think himself great, he is close to his doom. King David was keenly aware of that and he prayed specifically that God KEEP him in awareness of his frailty. Yes, a king - and the greatest one at that - knew his frailty. Death is the great equalizer. It comes to all men, the great and the lowly, the wise and the fool, the powerful and the weak. Truly Solomon said: “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “all is vanity.” Ecclesiastes 12:8 For most men yes, all is vanity. A man's greatness will end. The fruits of his life will succumb with him. But not so for all. They say you can't take anything with you, but that is only partly true. To the man of the world it is true that he cannot take anything with him. But for the redeemed, he can take with him the fruits of obedience, and he can take with him the souls of men. The wise man does serious contemplation on this, and it will become apparent to him that the most important thing in life is to find out from God what his will is, what his plan is for his life. Everything else is going to pass away, but the fruit of the redeemed will remain forever. "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but 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 6:19-21 Your treasure... If you have laid up treasure in heaven, it will never pass away. We are only given a glimpse of heaven now, but we are told that the most important thing in life is to turn our focus away from vanity, away from treasure that will pass away, to the treasure that will be forever. Imagine the multitudes of people who leave this life each day. Imagine those arriving in heaven. Some, though saved, will arrive with nothing. Others will be stunned at the greatness of the treasure they laid up beforehand. "Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever." Daniel 12:3 Always keep in mind the day when YOU will arrive there. What is sadder than finding out what could have been? Imagine being told that you were so involved in the things of your life that you never did seek God for HIS will, his plan for your life and now you stand there empty. Many will say on that day, "Oh if only I had realized, if only I had considered what was really important." Can there be anything sadder than standing on that day with regret? Many people invest for their retirement - their sole goal in life is to have enough money to enjoy their senior years. They spend their years, all their cares, all their attention, focusing on their retirement. But it's all going to pass away. How much more important then, to invest for one's eternity? Here's an example of that, a man who understood it and practiced it for many years without having any feedback, never seeing until the end ...the fruit of his life.