You Can't Take It with You

[janbear]

You Can't Take It with You

Author: Woodrow Kroll
Job 1:21
And he said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave,
and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name
of the Lord."
You Can't Take It with You
A few years ago, advice columnist Ann Landers
printed a supposedly true story of a tightfisted
husband who was married to a gracious woman. The
wife put up with his tightwad behavior for more
than 40 years. At age 60, "Ollie" was stricken
with cancer. Toward the end, he made his wife
promise, in front of witnesses, that she would
place in his coffin all the money he had stashed
away so he could buy his way into heaven. She
agreed and assured him, as a woman of her word,
she would do as he asked. The morning after his
death she took the money (about $26,000) and
deposited it in the bank. She then wrote a check
and put it in the casket four days later. She
knew he couldn't take it with him.
Job, however, never entertained the foolish ideas
of the tightfisted husband. He realized that he
would leave this world as naked as he entered. He
was wise enough to know that he would take
nothing away from this world but himself.
What we make of ourselves in terms of character
rather than possessions should be our concern as
Christians. A godly nature steeped in an
understanding of God's Word and God's ways is far
more valuable than earthly wealth or honors. When
we stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ, what
we are will be of greater importance than what we
had (2 Cor. 5:10).
Begin now to cultivate those things that will not
be left behind when your body is placed in the
ground. Set aside some time each day to spend in
the Bible and prayer. Develop an attitude of
compassion and generosity. Allow God's Spirit to
create in you a clean heart and a steadfast
spirit. These are riches you can take with you.
You have to leave the world naked, but not
destitute.