When the stock market crashed in 1929 certain investors who had lost their fortunes jumped out the windows of their high-rise offices. They were so unwilling to give up the luxurious lifestyles they had grown to enjoy that they chose death over a life of “going without”.
Everyone knows how easy it is to get accustomed to a higher standard of living while it seems almost impossible to endure the agony of giving up material comforts we’re used to.
Success and prosperity are a two-edged sword. On the one hand, they can transform our lives and those of others in many positive ways. On the other hand, prosperity can lead us down a path of pride, sensuality, and selfishness.
David’s son Solomon followed his father to the throne of Israel. He inherited a nation that was united, strong, and economically booming. Talented and charismatic, Solomon took Israel to even greater heights. He was a king who had it all.
As so often happens, the “all” destroyed him. His money, power, status, and wives took from him what held everything together – his relationship with God. By the end of his life, he wrote, “I looked at all I had done, and it was meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”
Living in the most prosperous country at the most prosperous time in history, we’re wise to spend some time this Sunday morning with Solomon, the king who had it all and lost it.
Sunday Morning Worship Service – 10:00 am