“the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.” – Ecclesiastes 9:11 KJV
It isn’t wise to rely on secular achievements for happiness. At some point, those who are champions of success will no longer be able to accomplish what they achieved at their peak. Age wears on us in many ways; the glory of our youth will be lost in due time. Of course, something could also go wrong at any time, and the foundation that a person worked so hard to lay and build upon could collapse in merely a moment, leaving those who spent most of their time building it up with nothing but a mess. Hence time and chance are essentially unreliable and whimsical.
Nevertheless, there is one thing that we can be sure to rely on; and that is this: “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” (Hebrews 13:8 KJV) In other words, neither time nor chance will ever get the best of Jesus, because He does not change. This, of course, ought to be good news to us, because it assures us that Jesus performs His good works at full capacity all the time. Moreover it affirms that what He wants for us is sure to succeed, because He can’t fail.
Unfortunately, many people don’t see it this way. Rather than exercising wisdom in embracing the Eternal Life of Jesus Christ, many people foolishly go after things that are about to pass away, hoping to achieve fame, fortune and popularity. Thus, they embark on a quest to become better than their peers, wanting to look better, and to run faster, and to be stronger, and to be wiser, and to be wealthier, etc… But what good are these pursuits when they too will fall victim to time and chance?
People often measure success by their ability to obtain worldly things, but fail to understand that success isn’t measured by quantity, but in quality of life. It’s not what you hold in your hand that makes you successful; it’s what you do with what you have in your hand that determines the measure of your success.
Are you hoarding things on earth in hopes to be better than someone else? Or are you storing treasure up in heaven in hopes to share the wealth of your happiness with others? Don’t worry about what you lack in this world. Instead, take hold of what matters most in life and never let go of it. Live to be successful in Jesus Christ rather than to be another success story in a world that is about to end its final chapter. Thus, you will embrace something that nobody will ever be able to take away from you. True happiness in Jesus Christ!
