(This is the third of three messages on the goodness of why we are here.)

Assignment 1: Walk through any luxurious neighborhood and see how many people are taking time to enjoy themselves on their front porch.

In the 1979 comedy, The Jerk, Steve Martin plays simple-minded Navin Johnson, a man who loses his fortune when his eyeglass invention—the Opti-Grab—causes eye impairment instead of eyeglass improvement, prompting consumers to sue. In reacting to the calamity, Navin says to his wife, Marie: “Honey, why the gloom? It’s not the end of the rainbow! I’m Navin Johnson, inventor. This is no big deal. This is a parking ticket to me, only instead of five dollars, it’s ten million. Marie responds (sobbing): I don’t care about losing all the money, it’s losing all the stuff!

Humorous, relatable, clearly misguided.

So many people clamor to “make it to the top”—to have the biggest business, the grandest house, the most toys, the nicest clothes. Well, consider this: In this country, there are just over 300 million people. For sake of illustration, let’s say there are 30,000 who make it to, or very near, the top in one or more of these categories. That means about 1 out of 10,000 make it, while the remaining 9,999 fall short and won’t ever get to the top—what the world calls the top. Woe is me, think so many who don’t ever get there. How about this thought instead? Woe is the world and its vain pursuit.

Thankfully, as Jesus followers, we know better. With God, you get to a point—rather, He brings you to it when you are willing—where you realize, life isn’t about accumulations. (“For when they die, they take nothing with them. Their wealth will not follow them into the grave” -Psalm 49:17.) It’s about relationships, and simple joys, and how you treat people, and the state of your heart; not about how high up some ladder you climbed. It’s about Whose you are and how much He loves you, and a deep-seated appreciation for the life God gives you, and the relationships that come from that. The goodness of life isn’t material accomplishment; it’s not even a state of mind; it’s a fruit of the Spirit (the 6th on the list in Galatians 5:22) and a state of the heart that’s been changed because we gave it to Jesus.

Assignment 2: Imagine you and your spouse are sitting on the front porch of your home (be it humble or luxurious), dog by your side, sharing the joy of watching your children (or grandchildren) happily playing on the steps, as neighbors out on their walks pass by with friendly greetings and waves, all to the backdrop of the late-day sun in its most pleasant hour and the full awareness that it’s God who gives you moments like these. Then, wonder why you would ever leave such a state of the heart to chase after the world’s things again.

The best use of our time while here? We already know. It’s not about all the stuff; it’s about all the people.

I hope this encourages you to invest in your relationships today.

Kevin Murray
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