by Pastor Bob Lawrenz
One of the region’s Centenarians passed away recently. She remained healthy all through her 90’s and was even riding her lawn tractor to cut her lawn earlier this year at 103 years of age. Though her children are still alive, she had far outlived her parents, her siblings, her husband, and her in-laws.
As her family passed away one-by-one, their possessions found their way to her home. To clean out the house after her death, her son (age 76) hired an Estate Sale Company to come in and price everything for a sale. That alone took two weeks, for the house was full of new items and old ones dating to the 1930’s.
The lesson of her home fits with today’s Psalm, 49. The Psalm addresses all the world, not just the Jews, and not just Believers. Regardless of our station in life, and even our religious beliefs, the things we work for all our lives will be passed on to others.
Now her accumulation of possessions shall be purchased and passed onto to many others. This Psalm 49 is a scripture that runs to the core of every heart. Our desires in passing are that our “stuff” will be cared for by those that have loved us, or used to bless others. But it is also a call to Believers to “keep a light touch” on the things of this world. Nothing can be used forever. Its usefulness will be used up with the using.
And so life goes with all our stuff. But before we all get depressed about all this, the Psalm goes much further to remind us that God will redeem our souls from the grave, and He shall receive us to Himself. The things of Earth are to come to an end, but the things of God are eternal. This is now our great hope; that as Believers, we shall be received by God because of the blood of His only begotten Son, Jesus.
Once a profession of faith is made, we are on the path to His side in eternity. Psalm 16 reminds us in its final verse that what awaits us in heaven is “fullness of joy,” and “at [His] right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Psalm 16:10 ~ “For thou shalt not leave my soul in the grave.”
