Ambitious people commit their full energies to advancing their personal agendas. They will lose sleep, drive themselves and stop at almost nothing to achieve their goals. Many will use any deceitful tactic, lie or evil to get their way. And for what? Is their all-consuming purpose worthwhile? Will it benefit the character and quality of life of others? What is the real goal for which all of us should be striving?
The Bible eloquently speaks of man’s vanity. Vanity in one sense is self-centeredness and selfishness. In a broader sense it is the uselessness, futility and short-term indulgence that goes nowhere and ends in death. The Psalmist stated it this way: “Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity” (Psalm 39:5, KJV). The NIV phrases it: “Each man’s life is but a breath.” The NKJV states: “Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor.” Certainly, without God in the picture—without the long-term view of eternity—human beings accomplish nothing of eternal value. They die having lived their whole lives in vain!
The parable of the rich fool in Luke 12 reveals the vanity of making one’s life-goal the accumulation of physical possessions. The fool was so prosperous that he focused only on his own rewards. “So he said, [in Luke 12:18-21] ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Christians know that God’s way should be our goal in life. We look forward to the return of the Savior to save the world from itself and institute lasting peace and prosperity for all humanity. In the meantime, we follow His precepts, particularly Luke 4:4: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’” In our commitment to life’s real goal, we cannot allow ourselves the false luxury of worldly distractions. Jesus warned us in Matthew 13:22 about the “cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches [which] choke the word, and he [the individual called by the gospel] becomes unfruitful.”
It is time for all Christians to renew their commitment to wholeheartedly seek the Kingdom of God above everything else in life (Matthew 6:33)—and to resist the many distractions and detours leading to vanity. As Jesus said in Luke 21:36: “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” We anticipate the Second Coming of Christ to this earth and His triumphal establishment of the Kingdom of God over all nations. We can be a part of that Kingdom for all eternity. That is life’s real goal and purpose. Is it yours?
This commentary can be found on the Church Web page, www.livingcog.org, in the Commentary Library, along with many other commentaries on key topics facing our world.