7 No one can redeem the life of another
or give to God a ransom for them—
8 the ransom for a life is costly,
no payment is ever enough—
9 so that they should live on forever
and not see decay. Psalm 49:7-9

The Psalmist contrasts what the wealthy can and cannot do. While, they may be able to buy many tangible things in this world, they certainly cannot redeem someone else’s life.

Often you’ll read about someone who thought they could extend their lives just a little longer if they could come up with the fountain of youth or some magic medicine that will extend their lives. They have the money to spend to hire the best researchers and minds in the world, but they fall short. In a sense they’re trying to buy more time in this life. They are trying to ransom their own life from a certain death, but they cannot do it.

Hebrews 9:27 states, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”

People without Christ must face this fact sooner or later. The Fountain of Youth will never be discovered, and while modern medicine has extended life years beyond what our grandparents and great grandparents experienced, those years are not without limits.

Our job, then, is to make the most of each moment we’re here. Life’s too short to hold grudges, harbor bitterness, or to get upset over minor annoyances.