“It’s the economy, stupid!”

You’ve probably heard that phrase before. Even if the person who you heard it from wasn’t necessarily calling you stupid – it gets a point across, doesn’t it? That phrase became part of an election strategy during a presidential election way back in the late 1900s. The obvious point of the phrase is — even if some other areas aren’t the best — what people care about the most, is the economy. If a person is doing well, financially, they can put up with a lot of other disappointments.

Whether or not you, personally, think that’s true, many people in the world seem to think that way. Money seems to be the solution to just about everything. Wherever there is a problem – a lack of money is probably the cause. So, what’s the solution? More money.

How many of the problems you’ve experienced in your life do you think would have been solved by more money? I’m guessing we could probably all name some. But I’m also guessing we can all think of other problems that we know more money wouldn’t solve. What about the problem that comes at the end of everyone’s life – death. Can that be solved by more money? Some may argue that some people’s death could be delayed if they could afford the needed healthcare. That may delay the problem but not solve it.

There’s another phrase you may have heard – “at the end of the game, the king and the pawn go back into the same box.” The obvious meaning here is — no matter your status, fame or fortune in life — it’s temporary. Everyone is going to die and be put in a box at some point. I’ve been reading and thinking about Psalm 49 lately, and this same idea is there.

Speaking of someone who understands that life is temporary for everyone, verse 10 says, “For he sees that even wise men die; the stupid and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others.” (“Hey, wait a second, is this guy calling me stupid twice in the same article!?”)

The point of Psalm 49 is that it is foolish to trust in riches, especially when it comes to the most important thing – your eternal soul.

Here’s how the psalmist puts it in verses 7-9, “No man can by any means redeem his brother or give to God a ransom for him – for the redemption of his soul is costly, and he should cease trying forever – that he should live on eternally, that he should not undergo decay.”

According to Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death.” Because we all have sinned against God, who is our creator, owner, king – and He’s holy – the necessary payment is death. But not just physical death. Eternal separation from God (in a place called hell).

No amount of money is sufficient to buy your soul, or the soul of someone you care about, out of that problem. But there is a solution. It’s not more money, but it is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:8 says this: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

We get a few more details in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”

And John 3:16 tells us this: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

The solution to the greatest of all problems — the need for redemption of your soul — is not solved by any amount of money. But only by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross to pay the penalty for sin in your place. And that payment is put on your account when you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ — that the payment He made was for you — and He is your only hope. Having salvation and the forgiveness of sins is real, eternal wealth.

“It’s the gospel, stu…dent.”