One with Most Toys — E.A. Johnston

The Winning Philosophy of Material Success

Years ago, when I was a businessman, I was sitting in a sales meeting with a room full of my colleagues, and my boss stood at a podium addressing us, and my boss made the following comment. He said, The one with the most toys at the end is the winner, and everyone agreed.

The Lasting Value of a Life Lived for Christ

And I went out to lunch that day with my business partner at his club, and at lunch he told me what he wanted engraved on his tombstone. Three words, win, win, win. And I went home that day and told my wife what my business partner had said, and I asked my wife what it was that I wanted on my gravestone, and I told her it was this, Only one life, which will soon be past.

Only what's done for Christ will last. Our culture teaches us that materialistic things are the most important things, and the world system says it's the one with the most toys that wins in the end. So we buy into that philosophy and go about accumulating as much of this world as we can, as we fill our storehouse with toys of bass boats and golf equipment and expensive cars and the latest gadgets and the newest brands of what we enjoy, until we have convinced ourselves that we are now prosperous.

Jesus' Warning About the Prosperous Farmer

But there was another man who thought along these lines as well. He was a prosperous farmer. You can find his story, friends, in Luke's Gospel in chapter 12. And our Lord Jesus had something to say about this man in his worldly philosophy.

Jesus' Teaching Against Covetousness

In Luke 12, 15 we read,. And he said unto them, Take heed and beware of covetousness, for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. In other words, it is the one with the most toys at the end who is the biggest loser.

Material Prosperity While the World Awaits the Gospel

But many Christians today, around the world and especially in America, place great emphasis on the materialistic things in life and accumulate as much of the world as they can, while the world waits to hear the good news of Jesus Christ.

Bible Translation and Unreached Languages

The need for Bible translation in foreign languages goes unfunded, while 1 ,200 native languages still do not have even a Gospel of John in their native tongue. Oh, why should that concern us, so long as we ourselves can buy ourselves the latest sports equipment or the newest flat-screen TV, so long as we are fat and happy and given 10 to our church?

That's all that matters. Isn't that what's all that's required of us? That's how we think. But our thinking is wrong. Many God-called ministries are closing their doors for want of support because church folk have to buy themselves more material goods to have more toys so they can win at the end.

The Rich Fool and the Danger of Storing Up Treasures

Their mindset is like the prosperous farmer from Luke who said to himself, And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years. Take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Let thou fool this night.

Thy soul shall be required of thee. Then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. Maybe before we go out to buy that unnecessary expensive Christmas present, we should think of the poor pastor in Africa who longs for a Bible translation in his native tongue.

Only one life, which will soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last.