James 1:11
[11] “For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.”
I recently read an article about the top 20 richest men who died in 2020. Among them were names such as: Joseph Safra (Brazilian citizen), who died in December at the age of 82, with a net worth of $23.2 billion; Whitney MacMillan (U.S. citizen), who died in March at the age of 90, with a net worth of $5.1 billion; and Randall Rollins (U.S. Citizen), who died in August at the age of 88, with a net worth of $4.7 billion.
The one who caught my attention the most, was Sumner Redstone. He also died in August of last year, at the age of 92. Redstone’s net worth at death was $2.6 billion. He felt so empowered by his success, that in 2007 he told students at Boston University, “I’m in control now, and I’ll be in control after I die.” What a foolish statement!
Our verse talks about how the rich men of this world fade away. Where are they now? The rich man in Luke 16 is in hell. The rich young ruler in Luke 18 is in hell with him. In Luke 19, Zacchaeus was a rich man who got saved, and is now in heaven. One thing is for sure, riches do not last! They do not buy you one second longer on this earth when it comes time to die.
You see, every man’s heart beats one beat at a time. The gain of worldly treasures cannot make it beat one second longer than God allows it. As the grass in the summer and the flower in the spring, we are here today, and gone tomorrow. Do not live for the riches of this life, live for the rewards of eternal life. Lay up treasures in heaven, my friend. Focus on eternity, so that when it comes your time to die, not one family member, or friend, will ask the question, “Where are they now?”