The first son on earth, Cain, murdered his brother Abel out of envy and jealousy. This added to the evil Satan had achieved with Adam and Eve. So God told Cain that he was cursed and would be a fugitive and vagabond on the earth (Gen. 4:11-12). Rick Warren (The Purpose Driven Life) said that this describes many people today—wandering through life without purpose. This is reminiscent of the words of Hank Williams in his song, I Saw the Light. He sang, “I wandered so aimless, life filled with sin. I wouldn’t let my dear Savior in.”

Warren suggested that everyone’s life is driven by something. He listed guilt, anger, fear, materialism, and the need for approval. Materialism and the love of money are probably the most common idols people worship today. Warren declared, “Self-worth and net worth are not the same. If people could only realize that possessions are all temporary and that the most valuable things in life are not things or money at all.”

I often think about how billionaires will leave every single penny behind. and I decry the missed opportunities these people have to do so much good and relieve so much suffering in the world. Recently, Nell and I watched a clip on TV about how three hundred people are eaten by crocodiles each year in Uganda. These poor, destitute people must draw water from crocodile-infested rivers. In doing so, many are consumed, and a lot of them are children.

I think how one caring billionaire could supply a well for these people at little cost. Even if it were a million dollars, and it would not be that much, what is that to the extremely wealthy? They could do good like this all over the planet and never miss the money. But, no. There seems to never be enough money for these people. How sad and tragic! Doing good would give these people a reason for living. Billy Graham once suggested that disbelief in God was like an unsharpened pencil. It has no point.

Disbelief in God is a great tragedy because He absolutely does exist. His judgment also exists. We hear so much about how much God loves us that we forget He is also a God of judgment. This means every sin anyone commits must be paid for. and the price is very high—eternity in hell. Fortunately, God loved man enough to become one, Jesus of Nazareth, to provide an escape hatch for anyone to avoid hell, provided he puts his belief and trust in Christ. Jesus Christ has already paid for all the sins, past, present, and future for all believers in Him. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Warren suggested that life without purpose is a tragedy. Knowing your purpose simplifies, focuses, and motivates you. and it prepares you for eternity. That is the reason God put man on earth. When one stands before the judgment seat of Christ, God will ask two questions: “What did you do with Christ?” and “What did you do with the gifts, talents, and opportunities I gave you?”

God created us to give Him glory. Only God deserves glory, and He will not share His glory with anyone. But many try to steal God’s glory every day. It can be power, prestige, influence, or wealth. So many people want these temporary and totally unimportant things in life that will never last. Even if some of them will last, such as gold, you and I will not physically last. Our souls, however, will last forever. and God will hold us all accountable on Judgment Day. Sadly, many people today have no belief in judgment or even God. How very tragic!