Connecting Point: The Equalizer

Most of us assume our decisions are mostly based on wisdom rather than foolishness, right? We can be our best cheerleader, maybe even pat ourselves on the back. In our search for wisdom, it is imperative that we too evaluate our lives often, and look to God and His Word for wisdom. Proverbs 13:20 implores us: “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.”

If you think of a spectrum line with “Fool” on the left and “Wise” on the right, we probably put ourselves somewhere in the middle, probably more toward wisdom. No matter how wise or foolish we consider ourselves, none of us will escape death. King Solomon makes this candid observation. “Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom, and also madness and folly. What more can the king’s successor do than what has already been done? I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness. The wise have eyes in their heads, while the fool walks in darkness; but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both. Then I said to myself, ‘The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?’ I said to myself, ‘This too is meaningless.’ For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered; the days have already come when both have been forgotten. Like the fool, the wise too must die!” (Ecclesiastes 2:12-16).

Death is the great equalizer of all. As Solomon chased after wisdom, pleasure, wealth, and prominence he became frustrated. You can almost sense that in his writings, the restless experimentation taxed his mind, body, and soul. Solomon repeatedly admits without God life is meaningless.

I’m uncomfortable bringing up the topic of death. We all want to live forever. None of us is promised tomorrow, yet we make plans for the future all the time. We would be wise to consider our eternal destiny in the meanwhile because our spirit lives on beyond this life.

Jesus came to give us eternal life, salvation from our life of sin, and spiritual death. That grace is extended to any person who calls for salvation in the name of Jesus. Paul reminds us, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory,” (Colossians 3:1-4).

Jesus is the equalizer. In terms of spiritual death, he conquered death and gave us new life.