We work hard for our money, and often miss our families, get less exercise, put up with lots of stress, etc… In exchange for these sacrifices, would it make sense to use our money to buy AIDS or cancer for ourselves? This sounds totally insane, but read how a lot people are in the process of buying terminal illnesses for their souls right now!
A “Rat Race” With No Winner
Okay, so most of us work, or go to school so we can work, etc… and are familiar with the notion that money is required in order to live
However, did you know that working for a living (or living at someone else’s expense at least) is a condition that God cursed mankind with when he drop kicked Adam and Eve out of the garden of Eden?
Genesis 3:17-19
To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’
Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return
It says that God even cursed the earth because of their mess up, that is a really strong statement, yikes!
Before Adam and Eve had their “incident”, they lived in a garden where food was abundant, and they just chilled with each other, and God, without a care in the world
Sounds too good to be true, as I cannot imagine living without having to work
Well, in the end it did not last, and the gravy train left them, and their fig leaves, at the station when they rebelled
However, it is important to note that God did not create mankind, or the earth, as a place of continuous labor or unrest, it was only after the fall of man that he changed things to be the way they are now
Seriously?
Thanks a lot Adam and Eve!
So, this shift in our existence created the ultimate rat race, where mankind has to work hard to survive, and it is only within very recent times (the past few hundred years), that life for some people has gotten to be much more relaxed (though many are unable to make this statement due to poverty)
With all the advancements in technology, standards of living etc… just what do people work towards now that they are not digging up potatoes every day to make stew for their family of ten?
Modern Goals: Working For A Better “Now” And For A Happy Retirement
In order to live “comfortably”, people usually have to work hard as they are either reaching for another rung on the ladder or they are already there and fighting whatever battles they need to in order to hold their position (typically, the higher one goes in business, the more competition and politics there are to fight through)
For different people, to “live comfortably” can mean a lot of things, as some people enjoy lifestyles that are more extravagant or expensive than others
However, regardless of age, financial status, quantity/quality of material possessions, etc… most people would say they do not want to work all their lives, and generally want to retire someday
(Wow, like, duh right?)
So, as we can see, as part of chasing happiness, people typically have two modes for handling their money, ie: using it to be happy in the present, or saving it for retirement later
These two goals usually involve conflicting ideals, as the more we spend on being happy “now”, it usually means we have less money to save for the future, while the reverse is true when aggressively saving for retirement, as it usually involves sacrifices being made in the present
However, regardless of any goals, people generally use their hard earned money to buy, or save for things, that make them happy
An easy point to understand right?
People spend, or save, their money as they choose to, which is one of our society’s greatest freedoms (after paying our taxes of course!)
More Money Usually Means More Freedom
For most people, having more money often translates into being able to do more of what they want
As part of earning money, we generally do things we would not choose to do, but we work so that we can enjoy the benefit of getting paid
Yes, some of us have our dream jobs, but most people go to work because it is “a job” and it pays the bills
However, despite all the hard hours, stress, rigid schedules, etc… that typically come with a job, the effort usually results in us getting more money, which then gives us the freedom to do more of what we want during our free time
Since our money is important to us, we generally spend it on things we benefit or get enjoyment from
So, after all that hard work, instead of spending it on cool stuff or saving for retirement, would it make sense to pay a doctor to give you AIDs or terminal cancer?
…whoa, what?
“How Much Is That Doggie Terminal Disease In The Window?”
Imagine this…
You are walking down the street one day, and you see someone waving a giant sign that says:
“Get AIDs or terminal cancer today, only $50,000”
You would probably think they were totally insane, and would not even humor the idea right?
I mean come on, even if they were offering those things for free we would still not take the offer, let alone give someone $50,000 to die a horrible death!
Just think how hard we would have to work, and save, to pay that much money, and why in the world would we spend it on a terminal disease rather than use it for something we really want?
Well, when it comes to our spiritual finances, we do this all the time, and the Bible could not make this point any simpler:
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord
Just as we would not spend our money to give AIDs or cancer to ourselves or others (“Happy birthday, I got you AIDs!”), we should not spend our lives earning a place in hell because of sins we do not let go of, but instead we should focus on receiving the “gift” of eternal life with God in heaven by living righteously!
*BOOM*
Also, this scripture is interesting as it says we have to work in order to earn sin’s reward!
This is because it takes effort to deny the very thing that makes us Christian, ie: God’s spirit within us, providing guidance towards righteousness and eternal life
So why not live righteously and receive the gift of eternal life rather than save up for eternal death–it seems like a better deal!
Eternal Retirement Planning
Instead of putting spiritual “money” in the bank, our lives on earth lay the foundation for what our eternal existence will be like, and if we do not act in a way that builds up a strong retirement plan, we will suffer for it
1 Corinthians 3:12-15
If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames
Jesus also said that no matter this earth has to offer, it is of zero value if we exchange our souls for it, so why hold onto anything during our short time here that would damage our eternal savings plan, that is a very poor investment!
By this same token, nobody would agree to accept a terminal disease in exchange for money, this would be completely insane, and is exactly what Jesus warned us about
Matthew 16:26
What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?
Revelation 22:12
Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done
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