The World’s Pleasures

The Hollywood star seemed to have everything. A household name worldwide, his films generated steady box office hits. He was admired and adored by millions. But the star recently revealed how he lived with chronic pain, struggled with bouts of loneliness, suffered from insomnia, and had a drinking problem.

While many admired his celebrity, this famed actor described the downside of fame—how lonely it was to be in the spotlight and how frustrated he was by his inability to form lasting relationships.

Still, this man is among the most popular, idolized people in the world. Millions think they would love to change places, experience his fame, and partake of his pleasures.

The Bible invites us to take an honest look at life and realize how easily people spend their time and energy chasing after the world’s pleasures. They give themselves to the pursuit of riches and resources, fame and power, but the Bible warns that, in the end, all of this effort is just “vanity and striving after wind.”

The Bible reminds us that “the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:17). Jesus specifically told us not to store up “treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.” Instead, we are to store up “treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal” (Matthew 6:19-20).

Today, invest your life in the Kingdom that will last.