Whose life am I living anyway?

Why should I fear when evil days come,
when wicked deceivers surround me—
those who trust in their wealth
and boast of their great riches?
No man can redeem the life of another
or give to God a ransom for him—
the ransom for a life is costly,
no payment is ever enough—
that he should live on forever
and not see decay.

For all can see that wise men die;
the foolish and the senseless alike perish
and leave their wealth to others.
Their tombs will remain their houses forever,
their dwellings for endless generations,
though they had named lands after themselves.

But man, despite his riches, does not endure;
he is like the beasts that perish.

This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,
and of their followers, who approve their sayings.

 - Psalm 49:5-13 NIV

It’s not like it’s a secret. We know it’s going to be hard. We know we are going to face trials. We know that temptations are everywhere. So why are we surprised when it happens?
Why are we so quick to point our finger at others instead of at ourselves, where it belong?

There will always be people telling us that we are wasting our time, that we could be better spending our time earning more money that we could spend on things we want. We’re told that if we continue to give, people will stop trying to make a way for themselves and instead always look to us for handouts. They will say a lot of things to get us to return to our old, selfish ways.

So, whose life are we living? Ours or theirs? It’s a decision that has to be made. Are we going to continue to stand on the word of God and insist that this is the path for us, helping, serving, giving? Or are we going to listen to those voices, the ones who say that time is short and life should be lived now, for ourselves?

No one will stand before God in our place, besides Jesus, so who would you rather listen to? I’d rather listen to Jesus.

LORD, the voices can be so loud at times, and to be honest, the shiny things look really nice. But I want to follow you, I want to help and to serve and to give. Help me block out the images and the voices that tell me to do for myself first. Help me hear Jesus so I know which way to go.