How much land does a man need?

Greed is the logical result of the belief that there is no life after death. We grab what we can while we can however we can and then hold on to it hard.—Sir Fred Catherwood, British politician

Famous Russian author Leo Tolstoy once wrote a story about a successful peasant farmer who was not satisfied with his lot. He wanted more of everything. One day he received a novel offer. For 1000 rubles, he could buy all the land he could walk around in a day. The only catch in the deal was that he had to be back at his starting point by sundown. Early the next morning he started out walking at a fast pace. By midday he was very tired, but he kept going, covering more and more ground. Well into the afternoon he realized that his greed had taken him far from the starting point.

He quickened his pace, and as the sun began to sink low in the sky, he began to run, knowing that if he did not make it back by sundown the opportunity to become an even bigger landholder would be lost. As the sun began to sink below the horizon, he came within sight of the finish line. Gasping for breath, his heart pounding, he called upon every bit of strength left in his body and staggered across the line just before the sun disappeared. He immediately collapsed. In a few minutes he was dead. Afterwards, his servants dug a grave. It was not much over six feet long and three feet wide. The title of Tolstoy's story was: “How Much Land Does a Man Need?”

All the land that man needed was a plot six feet long. Even though he had finished in time and had acres and acres of land in his possession, he couldn’t enjoy it because he had given his life trying to get as much as he could.

There are many people in our world who are running as fast as they can to get as much as they can. Like this man, they are pursuing wealth and possessions. It is the sole goal of their lives. But when they come to the end of their lives, they won’t be able to take any of it with them. They will only need a small plot of land six feet deep.

You cannot take anything that you gain from this earth with you when you go to Heaven. The only thing that lasts are men’s souls. So while everyone else is rushing around to attain possessions, realize that those things won’t last.

Source: Daily in the Word