Most of us wince at...
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Most of us wince at the strong words used in our text. An English headmaster at Eton College once declared from the pulpit, "It's your duty to be pure in heart. If you are not pure in heart, I'll flog you."
William Barclay translates 3b, "You have piled up wealth in a world that is coming to an end." In the Civil War the Union forces surrounded Vicksburg and it was just a question of time until Vicksburg would no longer be a Confederate town. Of course, Vicksburg, being a Southern town, used Confederate money. Imagine the puzzling situation there. If you had Confederate money, should you spend it knowing that in time it would be worthless? And if you had goods, would you be willing to sell them for money which in time would be worthless?
Now we have a saying, "You can't take it with you." One upstart person stated, "If I can't take it with me, I ain't going!"
We can joke about it but we cannot deny the inevitability of the earth's treasures ultimately not helping us. If you had been on the Titanic as it began to sink, would you prefer a briefcase full of money or a life preserver? It has been revealed that among the last words from the Challenger as the astronauts went to their death were these words from one astronaut to another, "Give me your hand."
-- Richardson
William Barclay translates 3b, "You have piled up wealth in a world that is coming to an end." In the Civil War the Union forces surrounded Vicksburg and it was just a question of time until Vicksburg would no longer be a Confederate town. Of course, Vicksburg, being a Southern town, used Confederate money. Imagine the puzzling situation there. If you had Confederate money, should you spend it knowing that in time it would be worthless? And if you had goods, would you be willing to sell them for money which in time would be worthless?
Now we have a saying, "You can't take it with you." One upstart person stated, "If I can't take it with me, I ain't going!"
We can joke about it but we cannot deny the inevitability of the earth's treasures ultimately not helping us. If you had been on the Titanic as it began to sink, would you prefer a briefcase full of money or a life preserver? It has been revealed that among the last words from the Challenger as the astronauts went to their death were these words from one astronaut to another, "Give me your hand."
-- Richardson
