What other Scriptures emphasize the temporary nature of worldly accomplishments? Fading Achievements: Opening Verse Ecclesiastes 2:18 sets the tone: “I hated all my toil at which I labored under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who comes after me.” Solomon’s sigh reminds us that even the most dazzling résumé will one day be boxed up and forgotten. Old Testament Voices • Ecclesiastes 1:2 – “Futility of futilities… All is futile!” The Teacher’s opening chorus frames the book: everything “under the sun” evaporates. • Ecclesiastes 5:15 – “As he came from his mother’s womb, so he will depart… he takes nothing for his labor to carry in his hands.” Birth-to-grave empty-handedness. • Psalm 39:5-6 – “Surely every man at his best is but a vapor… he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will carry it off.” Accomplishments drift like morning mist. • Psalm 49:16-17 – “When he dies, he will carry nothing away; his abundance will not follow him down.” The hearse pulls no trailer. • Isaiah 40:6-8 – “All flesh is grass… the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” Human glory is as durable as lawn clippings next to God’s eternal word. • Proverbs 23:4-5 – “Do not wear yourself out to get rich… riches… fly off to the sky like an eagle.” Hard-won assets grow wings. • Job 1:21 – “Naked I came… and naked I will depart.” The patriarch’s open-handed theology under suffering. • Psalm 90:10, 12 – Life’s seventy or eighty years “quickly pass,” so the wise heart counts each day, not each trophy. New Testament Voices • Matthew 6:19-21 – “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy…” Earthly stockpiles corrode; heavenly investments remain. • Luke 12:20 – “You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?” The rich fool’s barns are monuments to short-sighted planning. • James 1:10-11 – “The rich man… will fade away in the midst of his pursuits.” Busy contracts signed today, forgotten tomorrow. • 1 Peter 1:24-25 – Repeats Isaiah 40: “The grass withers… but the word of the Lord stands forever.” Eternal truth outlives temporal triumphs. • 1 John 2:17 – “The world is passing away, along with its desires; but whoever does the will of God remains forever.” A passing world versus a permanent obedience. • 1 Timothy 6:7 – “We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” Net worth at birth and death: zero. • Philippians 3:7-8 – “Whatever was gain… I count as loss… that I may gain Christ.” Paul swaps accolades for knowing Jesus. Threads That Tie Them Together • Labor, wealth, and applause are gifts, but they expire; only what aligns with God’s word survives. • Scripture repeatedly pulls our gaze from what can be tallied or touched to what is eternal and unseen. • The consistent remedy offered is not despair but re-prioritizing: invest in God’s kingdom, steward resources for His glory, and anchor identity in Christ rather than in accomplishments. |
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