As I awakened this morning, I remembered a statement an acquaintance made, and in fact, I have heard this same statement made by several.  He is a very wealthy man. One day, while out looking at his expansive ranch, he turned and said that the ranch would be left to his son and two granddaughter’s. A legacy that he and his wife were leaving behind when they died.  The man is not a religious man, but I have thought about that statement many times.  He is leaving behind material possessions, and nothing of a spiritual nature for his son and his family.  Though the man is a good man, and is convinced he will be saved, unless he repents, and is obedient to God’s plan of salvation, he will not.  Material wealth will not save, nor will our being good in our own eyes save us.

“O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his own steps.”       Jeremiah 10:23

I have noticed that mankind desires to substitute his own plan of salvation for the plan that God has given in Scripture.  I have heard that many times from people, or in other instances they would tell me  that if their parents religion was good enough for them, then it was good enough for them too.  . . .  but we must be obedient to His plan of salvation for our souls.  Just as Noah did in the days of the flood.  God gave Noah instructions ( Genesis Chapters 6 -8) for the ark, and any deviation from that specific pattern, and the souls of 8 people would have perished in that flood also, but Noah was obedient to God.

“Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.”    Genesis 6:22

Naaman is another case of wanting to have his way instead of God’ way.  “Behold I thought.” . . . and how many of us, just as in Naaman’s case have said the same thing, or had this said to us by others?

“But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.”  II Kings 5:11

In all of these instances of disobedience, the sin of “pride” is prevalent.

“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”   Proverbs 16:18

The Scriptures are replete with pattern after pattern.  God loves mankind and is longsuffering towards him, and He desires that we love Him back by being obedient to Him.

“But Thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and Truth.”   Psalms 86:15

“Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.”     Revelation 22:14

There is a song that is sung by George Strait that illustrates the first paragraph somewhat.

“Time flies, while you save it all up, but some day, this will all be dust.  It’s all just stuff, it ain’t never enough.  You can’t take it with you, so you might as well just let it go.”

. . . . and we will leave all behind that is of a material value, but then come the sobering questions.  Then what?  Where will our souls spend eternity?  What did I do while given the time I was allowed on this earth?  . . . .and was I obedient to His inspired Word?

“For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.”   I Timothy 6:7

Where will you spend eternity?

“Not all treasure is silver and gold.”

“The sin of worldliness is a preoccupation with the things of this temporal life.  It’s accepting and going along with the views and practices of society around us without discerning if they are Biblical.  I believe that the key to our tendencies toward worldliness lies primarily in the two words “going along”.  We simply go along with the values and practices of society.”    ~ Bridges