(Regarding footnote e above) Blaise Pascal, French physicist and philosopher, wrote, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God the Creator, made known through Jesus Christ”. This truth has haunted the lives of some of the most “successful” people who have ever lived:
In 1923, a very important meeting was held at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago. Attending this meeting were nine of the world’s most successful financiers: Charles Schwab, steel magnate; Samuel Insull, president of the largest utility company; Howard Hopson, president of the largest gas company; Arthur Cotton, the great wheat speculator; Richard Whitney, president of the New York Stock Exchange; Albert Fall, a member of the president’s cabinet; Leon Fraser, president of the Bank of International Settlements; Jesse Livermore, the great “bear” on Wall Street; and Ivar Krueger, head of the most powerful monopoly.
Twenty-five years later, Charles Schwab died in bankruptcy, having lived on borrowed money for five years before his death. Samuel Insull had died a fugitive from justice and penniless in a foreign land. Howard Hopson was insane. Arthur Cotton had died abroad…insolvent. Richard Whitney had spent time in Sing Sing. Albert Fall had been pardoned so that he could die at home. Jesse Livermore, Ivar Krueger and Leon Fraser had all died by suicide….
H. G. Wells, famous historian and philosopher, said at the age of 61, “I have no peace. All of life is at the end of its tether.” The poet Byron said, “My days are in the yellow leaf, the flowers and fruits of life are gone, the worm and the canker and the grief are mine alone.” Ralph Barton, one of the top cartoonists in the nation, left this note pinned to his pillow before taking his life: “I have had few difficulties, many friends, great success. I have gone from wife to wife and from house to house, visited great countries of the world, but I am fed up with inventing devices to fill up 24 hours of the day” (source unknown).
Jesus Christ said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.”
“I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.”