Living Like a King
Dave Faust
How much money would it take for you to live like a king?
The other day I was standing in the baggage claim area at the airport with a hundred other travelers, waiting for our luggage to come out. Yawning passengers watched impatiently while one black suitcase after another moved along the conveyor belt, demonstrating the necessity of a sign nearby that said, "Check the nametag on your bags. Many suitcases look alike."
One bag stood out, though: a silver metal suitcase with the word "Lottery" stamped in large letters on its side. The over-stuffed suitcase literally overflowed with cash. Bills of various denominations jutted through the crack where the two halves of the case closed together.
Needless to say, everyone noticed that suitcase! Bystanders pointed and stared, fighting back the urge to reach down and grab one of the bills. As the suitcase passed by on the conveyor belt, though, I got a closer look and realized the money was nothing but fake bills—play money intended to stick out and call attention to the Lottery, I suppose.
Money grabs our attention; but more often than not, money leaves us disappointed when we grab for it.
George Vanderbilt spent a fortune and years of his life building the Biltmore Estate near Asheville, North Carolina. Finished in 1895, his massive house and gardens are marvels of design. Tourists pay to see oversized rooms full of imported furnishings, walls covered in Spanish leather and gold leaf, a four-story high chandelier, a swimming pool, and a two-lane bowling alley in the basement. However, Vanderbilt died an untimely death in his early 50s and didn't get to enjoy the mansion in his twilight years.
In the 1700s, the Austrian royal family built Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna, a showplace still toured by visitors from around the world. When he was six years old, the musical prodigy Mozart performed in the parlor—one of the palace's 1,441 rooms!
The little palace I call home doesn't contain quite that many rooms, and there's no bowling alley in my basement. I won't live in a mansion till I get to Heaven, but I don't feel short-changed. Since I'm a child of the King, my name is already on the deed for an estate next to the streets of gold. Meanwhile, right here in the humble confines of earth, God has given me more blessings than I can count.
In the summer my little palace has air conditioning, a blessing even Vanderbilt's house couldn't claim. I have no servants to prepare my dinner, but the Austrian royal family would have envied the microwave oven that cooks my meals. Hot and cold water at the turn of a faucet, a refrigerator to cool and preserve my food, a computer to link me with people and ideas all over the world, the ability to travel swiftly over the miles—I enjoy comforts and opportunities even the wealthiest people on earth didn't possess a century ago.
I don't need to grab for more. I need to appreciate what I have. "Godliness with contentment is great gain," Paul wrote. "For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it" (1 Timothy 6:6-7).
During his 33 years on earth, God's Son didn't live in a palace, but he was a model of purpose and peace. He showed it's not where you live that counts most, but how.
Want to live like a king? Be like Jesus.
This column first appeared in The Lookout on Nov 20, 2005.
Living in the Sonlight
Spending a lot of time in the sun this summer? You may want to rethink that. Too much exposure to solar rays can damage your skin and even lead to cancer.
Living Outside of Nain
. . . Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, ‘Don’t cry’ (Luke 7:11-13).