A man who has riches without understanding
is like the beasts that perish. – Psalm 49: 20

This morning I came across this video (click to watch on Youtube):

“When you spend three, four thousand dollars on some shirts and ties, to get it wrapped in $110 is not that much more…  It’s a great, great gift idea,” says one of the sales people.

Staggering.  This runs much deeper than materialism.  It reveals such a deep poverty of soul that the Psalmist accurately captures.  It’s an extreme example, but it serves to illustrate the distinction he was aiming at:

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 .

Bottom line: we are to align our lives in accordance to the word of God and value what He values.  Otherwise, we miss the mark entirely, trading eternity for a bubble that will soon burst.