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GRIP Thoughts - August 12, 2016

Psalm 51 is a really popular Psalm. Parts of it have been made into a song. It has been made into posters. But just a page or so back is Psalm 49 and I thought for my blog this time I would talk a little bit about it. It seems to me that our world could use a little more familiarity with Psalm 49. Maybe someone could turn it into a song… though that definitely wouldn’t be me. Or maybe we could draft some of it into a poster… though that wouldn’t be me either. So instead I will just throw out a few of my thoughts on it.

If we didn’t know better, Psalm 49 seems to me like it could have been written by Solomon. It is very “Ecclesiastes-esque” as the psalmist points out the meaninglessness of pursuing wealth. Our world is still so preoccupied with money. In fact, I think that money may be the one thing that the world is more preoccupied with than sex. Probably because they figure that with cash you get sex too.

Everywhere you look we see people chasing cash or the things that it can provide. We are told over and over that wealth will lead to happiness. It will make us comfortable. It will enable us to have peace. And so we focus ourselves on achieving wealth. 

A while back I heard an interview with Simon Cowell of American Idol fame. The interviewer was asking about his wealth. He had made close to $100 million dollars that year, or something crazy like that. And the interviewer asked him if that was enough. Cowell said no. So the interviewer asked him how much would be enough. Cowell replied to the effect, “One dollar more.”

It seems crazy to me that he would say that he is after that one dollar more. But I can fall into the same trap. I can just as easily not be content with what I have and want just a bit more.

Mr. Cowell and I, and maybe you too would be wise to read Psalm 49 a few times. Wealth should not be our goal. It is not the wise choice for our focus. The Psalmist says, “People who have wealth but lack understanding are like the beasts that perish.” In the midst of the relentless messages about money that the world is bombarding us with today, I need that reminder regularly to help me keep the world’s influence from distracting and detouring me away from remaining focused on Christ and the understanding that He gives us into what is truly important to pursue in this life.

-Doug Baynton
(Lead Pastor)

Categories: Bible , Grip