“Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”
Luke 12:15 NLT
Jesus told the parable of a rich man who decided to tear down his existing barns in order to build bigger ones. He’d store all of his goods in these bigger barns and wouldn’t have to work for some time. Then, he’d eat, drink, and be merry! Can’t you picture this dude sitting there on his wealthy behind marveling at how he’s achieved the good life? His great plan was short lived. “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ Luke 12:20 NLT
This man was so greedy that he wasn’t satisfied with what he already had. Have you ever been tempted by greed like that? I remember a time when I ditched my collection of shoes in order to buy all new ones. I really only needed to replace one pair of sandals that I’d broken but, I decided that it was time for me to just toss and replenish the whole lot. How hard could that be? My collection of shoes fit well and was still fashionable but I went from need to greed in a hot minute. I ended up waiting for years to properly rebuild my shoes to the right colors, styles, and types because I could not easily find the replacements after all.
Your ‘greedy thing’ may not be barns of goods or shoes. It could be any number of things. But the temptation to want more of everything is present in all of us. Aren’t we then somewhat similar to the man in the parable?
We can never really be free or satisfied by the stuff that we own—real freedom and satisfaction are free gifts that God provides to us when we humbly go to Him each day and ask for his grace and help. Only after doing that can we have the power to resist the strong temptation towards greed. For we read in Luke 12:21, “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”
Are you ‘God-poor’ today due to greed? You don’t have to be. Ask Him to take away your greed for material things and replace it with a desire for godly things. He wants to do it and will if you ask Him.
By grace through faith,
Rita
This time of year in America we celebrate at least three patriotic occasions between the end of May and the end of July – Memorial Day, Flag Day, and Independence Day. As a member of a military family by birth, voluntary service, and marriage, my heart is tender towards the remembrance of those who sacrifice their lives, some even to death, so that we may enjoy the freedoms offered by our great nation.
Why is it so important to be the real thing – to listen and live in the truth? Look around. I think we’d all agree there is a shortage of people who are what they say they are and how is that working out for us? We live in an age when so many say whatever they want others to believe, whether it’s the truth or not. Many think it’s okay to lie as long as it furthers their own agendas. So if we aren’t careful, we wonder who to believe.