Psalm 49:1-3 (NIV) For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm:

Hear this, all you people; listen, all who live in this world, both low and high, rich and poor alike: My mouth will speak words of wisdom; the utterance from my heart will give understanding. God’s power-attitudes of being poor in spirit, mourning, and being meek will open your heart to God’s knowledge, understanding, and wisdom that you weren’t open to before. Ask God to use these power-attitudes to open your heart to all these things.

Psalm 49:4-6 (NIV) I will turn my ear to a proverb; with the harp I will expound my riddle: Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me--those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches?

Covetousness and greed destroy righteousness; 1 Timothy 6:10-11 (NIV) For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Ask God right now to help you devote yourself to Him rather than to the pursuit of money, possessions, positions, power, prestige, popularity, pleasure, and accomplishments.

Psalm 49:7-9 (NIV) No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him--the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough--that he should live on forever and not see decay.

Since Jesus was willing to leave heaven, come to earth, receive a human body, live life here on earth, be beaten beyond recognition, and be crucified for you, you should treat yourself and other people with the same value. You might pray something like: “Heavenly Father, help me put the value of a human on the scales and measure them against money, possessions, power, prestige, positions, popularity, pleasure, and accomplishments. Help me value people above the value of things.

Ask Jesus to show you what a human is worth when it comes to you trying to get what you want in life. Ask Him to help you see what hungering and thirsting after righteousness has to do with relationships. Ask Him to help you in the three major categories for relationships: yourself, other people, and God. Ask Him to help you love yourself, other people, and God rather than things or accomplishments.

Psalm 49:10-14 (NIV) For all can see that wise men die; the foolish and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others. Their tombs will remain their houses forever, their dwellings for endless generations, though they had named lands after themselves.

But man, despite his riches, does not endure; he is like the beasts that perish. This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings. Selah (pause and give this some thought). Like sheep they are destined for the grave, and death will feed on them. The upright (righteous) will rule over them in the morning; their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions.

When the objective is selfishness and self-centeredness, life loses all meaning and purpose. Everything simply ends up in death and all the person has accomplished is left behind. Without the influence of God’s attitudes and character, you zero in on your needs, your wants, and your issues; you don’t concern yourself with others. Ask God to help you hunger and thirst for righteousness so none of these things happen to you.

Psalm 49:15 (NIV) But God will redeem my life from the grave; He will surely take me to Himself. Selah (Meditate on this for a moment).

Eternity and eternal life give meaning to this temporal life; they keep your goal from just wanting to build up as much money, possessions, positions, power, popularity, prestige, pleasure, and accomplishments as possible. It helps you see that this won’t get you ready for eternity. So, come to Jesus and ask Him to teach you how to get ready. Ask Him to show you His way to bring money, possessions, positions, popularity, prestige, power, pleasure, and accomplishments to you that are used by you to help people. Ask Him to teach you principles that help you be very successful in life WHILE valuing people above things.

Psalm 49:16-19 (NIV) Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases; for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him. Though while he lived he counted himself blessed--and men praise you when you prosper--he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of life.

Do not be overawed when a man grows rich: David became a very rich man; but, there was a difference in the wealth he had and the wealth of these people that are being talking about. It is like the water that flows into a lake and the water that flows through a river. Ask God to teach you how to have money, possessions, positions, popularity, prestige, power, pleasure, and accomplishments flowing through you into the lives of others. If you get rich by hoarding, then you love things rather than people.

Here’s how true Christianity works: Luke 6:38 (NIV) Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” This empowers you to have a lot of THINGS come to you and then pass through you into the lives of the needy. Ask God to teach you and empower you to live like a river and not like a lake.

Psalm 49:20 (NIV) A man who has riches WITHOUT understanding is like the beasts that perish. God is giving you understanding; He is teaching you what life is all about. He is training you to put your priority on hungering and thirsting for righteousness. This makes you into a person who makes sure all who are involved with you win.

In Jesus’ race, the rules are different than the rules of the world. The first person across the finish line wins according to the rules of the world. The last person across the finish line wins in Jesus’ race. This is because Jesus’ winners make sure everyone gets across the finish line before them. They are busy helping everyone else win. Mat 20:16 (NIV) So the last will be first, and the first will be last.

There is a huge difference between being a righteous successful person and a selfish rich person. A righteous successful person can look back on their life and love and enjoy what they see. But, even if the selfish, rich person can no longer feel any regret for the WAY they got rich, they still have nothing they can take with them into eternity. Ask God to help you learn how to use wealth so you will be able to get and use money, possessions, positions, popularity, prestige, power, pleasure, and accomplishments. Ask Him to let it come to you and flow through you into the lives of others.