“You might have a happy family, nice house, fine car, you might be successful in real estate.

You could even be a football star.

You might have a prime-time TV show seen in every home and bar,

but you can’t take it with you.”

These are lines from the Paul Kelly song “You can’t take it with you.” It’s a great reminder to keep earthly success, riches and even relationships in perspective, because their benefits are limited to this life. Don’t boast in such things, or find your ultimate fulfilment in them. Once we die, all that we cherished on earth becomes useless to us.  

Yet for those who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have a much better prize to look forward to. In Him, we not only lose the temporary things, but gain that which is of eternal value and infinite worth.

The apostle Paul realised this important truth. He had once boasted in his own religious identity and works, but he found out that you can’t even take that with you into eternity! He says, “whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord… forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:7,8,13,14)

Knowing Jesus Christ, being made righteous through His sacrifice, dying to the old self, being raised to new life in the Spirit, future resurrection and being in God’s glorious presence forever – these make all worldly pursuits pale into insignificance. No amount of riches, relationships or even religion can compare to knowing the Lord and being His forever.  

So by God’s grace, let us hold the things of earth lightly, and keep moving towards the goal, the rewards of a victory that has already been secured for us in Christ. There really is no better prize than this.