Luke 12: 13-21
Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
And he told this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink, and be merry.”
“But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?”
“This is how it will be with anyone who shores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”
A Thought
Psalm 14:1 states, “A fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ ” In this passage God calls the man who only prepares for himself a fool. Let us all take warning that we guard against all kinds of greed, careful not to place too much importance on the abundance of possessions. Beware! Let us be rich toward God, lay up our treasure in heaven rather than build our kingdom here on earth. This is not what we have been taught all of lives, but it is what God wants us to know.
Our Prayer
Father thank you that when we believe your word, we must continue to change the things that are in our heart to become more like you. Selfish greed can be a stronghold on people in whom you have richly blessed (including me!). Help us to see all the needs of others and to be willing to give freely whether spiritually, physically, or financially. All good things come from you, our provider; we can trust you. Thank you again, in Jesus’ name.
