Today, I want to sum up our lessons about King Herod by saying that his legacy is proof that wealth and prestige can’t buy happiness. In fact, when I look at his story, I don’t see joy or success, I see narcissism and rage. Even though he had everything that money and power could procure, he was miserable — constantly fighting to maintain his position and worrying about who he had to conquer next to stay on top. As hard as he tried to make his name immortal, like the compounds and shrines he erected for his glory, he himself came to ruin. And while to his contemporaries he had no rivals, his life is evidence that we cannot gain joy from power. Since the fall, our natural urge is to be like God, but the strange irony of His Kingdom is that we inherit a greater measure of strength when we surrender. Authority is delegated, not derived, and as we elevate divine priorities, only then do we possess true wealth. This is the wonder of living Christ’s way, and as we take His yoke upon us, He magnifies the small things, empowers us to put them first, and brings the big things to our midst in the right measure, and in His perfect time.

My friend, you don’t need a lot of worldly stuff to have abundant life. While prestige and possessions are always alluring, especially if you’ve never had them, true power comes from knowing your purpose. When you’ve been adopted into Christ’s Kingdom and are convinced from the inside-out that He is your soul’s greatest satisfaction, you can be content wherever He has you. You are never outside the boundaries of His perfect will, and He is giving you grace to meet the demands of your current season. Keep looking to Him, hold fast to His precious promises, and He will flood your spirit with a joy so deep that everyone watching will want to know where it comes from!