A man in the crowd spoke up and asked Jesus to tell his brother to divide the family inheritance with him. Jesus refused. He asked the man who had appointed Him (Jesus)in the role of judge or arbitrator over him? Then Jesus got down to brass tacks. He told the crowd (and the man) to be on guard against every form of greed because:
"not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions."
Our life is not made up of the things we own - not our wealth, not our homes, cars, furniture, clothes. These things do not constitute a good life. They are not the indicators of a meaningful existence.
He then told a parable to teach the importance of being rich toward God and the danger of focusing only on earthly treasures. The parable told of a wealthy man who had so much he decided to build more storage space. His wealth made him feel secure and set for life, with no worries. His philosophy at that time was "take your ease, eat, drink and be merry." Translation? "Relax! Go on a vacation and throw some parties." But God said to the man in the parable, "You fool! This very night your soul is required of you, and now who will own what you have prepared?" (verses 12-20)
What's the lesson for me?
While on earth, the wise person prepares his soul for eternity. If I only focus on gathering earthly comforts, I am being foolish. I cannot take my earthly possessions with me into eternity - and owning alot does nothing to prepare my soul. The way to prepare my soul is to care about what God cares about. What does God care about? For starters, He cares about the suffering of people. Are they starving? Are they without clothes to protect their bodies? Are they depressed and broken? And the biggie is this: do they have eternal life? Do I care about these same things? If not, I am not rich toward God (I am not valuing what God values).
This is a good thing to remember and ponder, especially at this time of the year when we will be on the receiving end of many wonderful earthly possessions. Jesus, help me hold my earthly possessions with a relaxed grip - always willing to give them up if the need arises.
Luke 12:13-21
Meridee, thank you so much for this timely message. I needed to read this! This past week I've found myself thinking life is pretty good! But I have to confess I was thinking that for all the wrong reasons. The truth is I am always "this" blessed each and every day because of what Christ did for me on the cross - no other reason! Thanks for this terrific post.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post meridee -i loved it, and Carrie's response. Thanks for a morning pointed toward Him...Jan
ReplyDeleteSuch a good reminder, Meridee. Thanks for putting it so well. Now if only I could get God to make my heart more like his in the first place!!! (Guess that's part of why we're here in this world as long as we are: learning, un-learning, re-learning with all our baby-steps!).
ReplyDeleteKelli