Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“He shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with no one to help him.”
NL Daily Devotion for Saturday, August 31, 2024
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
No amount of earthly power is any guarantee. This whole passage is about some king who will take over a huge area and have wealth and power and palatial tents and, guess what, will die alone.
It’s easy, in our society, to be pulled into the belief that if we just had that one thing—that perfect job, that seven-figure salary, that big house, that Lexus, that new [fill in the blank with whatever you can imagine], then—then!—we will be truly happy. We will never feel pain or uncertainty. We will live out our lives in complete contentment and comfort.
Except it doesn’t work that way. Studies of wealthy people show that the majority of them believe they don’t have enough. And look at all the depression and dysfunction among celebrities. Or the insatiable drive of some people for political power in all types of contexts.
We can spend our lives craving, wanting, pushing toward the next thing we think will make us happy. Or we can stop and reflect on the beauty of life as it is, simplify, and choose to be happy with less. We die either way, of course. But what really makes life worth living?
What things make my life worth living?
