06/16/2024
Jean Morrison
In today’s culture, the phrase "secure the bag" is a slang term that champions those that strive for success, a legitimate pursuit or monetary reward. This can also include goals such as a desire to elevate one’s status, achieve greater prestige, or obtain career advancement. Conversations centered around this topic often include, “getting paid,” “play your cards right to get ahead”, “work hard and get that money”, or “get something for your grind.” Oftentimes, people with this mindset believe that you can do anything you want as long as you work hard enough to achieve it. On the other hand, those with more selfish ambitions believe that you must "secure the bag" in order to get ahead of everybody else.
And yet, the desire to become more successful is not a bad thing in and of itself. Neither is trying to improve one’s life through hard work, discipline, or having a solid work ethic. Anyone would agree that these are three excellent character traits. Yet, there is still much more to life than centering our existence on achieving economic advancement or fame alone.
King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, offered further wisdom on this topic in Ecclesiastes 1:1-3, which reads, "Meaningless! Meaningless! Everything is meaningless. What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun?" When he wrote this, King Solomon was wealthy and lived in luxury. Towards the end of his life, he became focused on accumulating wealth and acquiring a harem of beautiful women, leading him away from serving the Lord.
The book of Ecclesiastes is excellent reading because it helps us to have a proper perspective on life and death. Two scriptures help illustrate this point. For example, Jesus teaches us in Matthew 6:19-20, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." Earthly possessions are temporary, but treasures in heaven are eternally secure.
In Mark 8:36, Jesus also says, "What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?" This verse challenges us to consider the ultimate cost of our goals and life pursuits. At the end of our lives, what will be our gain for all our struggling and stressing to "secure the bag"? Will our stewardship here on earth be an accumulation of material gain that garners no eternal value or reflect a life radically sold out for Jesus Christ?
Here are three Absolute Truths that will help you to check your motives for achieving success in life.
ABSOLUTE TRUTH #1: Life is ephemeral and elusive.
Ephemeral means fleeting or temporary. Elusive means that something is difficult for some people to achieve. For example, social media tends to be ephemeral and elusive. What’s trending one moment will pass over quickly, and “going viral” is not easily attainable for everyone.
Psalm 103:15-16 captures this Absolute Truth when considering the brevity of our lives: "The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more." Life is short, and what we do for the Lord is the only thing that matters - not material possessions, accolades, or fame.
ABSOLUTE TRUTH #2: Life should be about the gift, not the gain.
In Ecclesiastes 1:4-10, King Solomon says it best: “Generations come, and generations go, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises, and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, ‘Look! This is something new?’ It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.”
King Solomon reminds us in these verses that the issues of life and nature repeats throughout generations. Despite all the changes and the passage of time, there's really nothing new or different happening in the world; everything is just a cycle. That’s life for everybody. It doesn’t matter if you are a believer or not, or whether you are rich or poor — life keeps going with good days and bad days.
The Bible says that God’s favor rains on the just and unjust. Instead of striving to secure the bag, we should strive to have a relationship with the one who‘s got the bag and put him first. When we do, we can utter Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He will make me lie down in green pastures and lead me beside still waters.” This means we don’t have to stress and strive trying to secure the bag. We can look to God who has all power and authority to work in our lives and give us all we need when we put him first. (Matthew 6:33) Remember this: our life here on earth is a gift to love and serve both God and people.
ABSOLUTE TRUTH #3: An “under the sun” worldview is puzzling and perplexing.
Everything “under the sun” is a worldview that is often confusing to those who aren’t in a relationship with Jesus Christ. People who live to "secure the bag" in all aspects of their lives miss that God made them to live for Him and not to chase earthly pursuits. Here are three Absolute Truth takeaways to reflect on:
1. Work out your life’s decisions and details backward. Consider looking at your life through the lens of death going backward. What are you focusing on in life?
2. Your life’s work could be wasted efforts. Consider whether all your struggling, striving and stressing to “secure the bag” is really worth it.
3. Death ends our quest for greatness and gain. When thinking about death, have you heard the adage, "You can't take it all with you?" This phrase is relevant when talking about securing the bag.
So, here’s the bottom line. Securing the bag is only momentary, and any monetary gain won’t last forever. So, is it wrong to try to "secure the bag"? Well, the answer is yes and no. If your goal is entirely tied up in achieving more money and things rather than pursuing Christ, then that’s wrong. On the other hand, if you live a life pleasing to the Lord by serving others, sharing the Gospel, and using your resources wisely more than chasing prosperity, then that’s right.
Look at your life, and choose wisely, because there’s one thing you can bank on for sure — what you do for Christ is the only thing that will last forever.
Want to dive deeper? Click below to watch Pastor Rhedrick's message, "Securing The Bag."
