Jesus was speaking to a large crowd that had gathered to hear Him, and out of nowhere, some guy shouted, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” Jesus wastes no time in getting to this man’s real issue. He says, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” (Luke 12:13-15 NIV). Jesus said to be on guard against “all kinds of greed.” The King James Bible uses the words “covetousness.”
To put it simply, we need to be very careful that we’re not always looking for something else. Have you noticed that our present culture is perfectly designed to cause us to never be content with the things that we have? (Hint: TV commercials.) We always want more: more possessions, more power, more money, bigger houses, and nicer cars. The enemy has been skillful at tempting us to always want more—to be attracted to the newest and shiniest thing.
If we are not careful, we will allow our desire for something else to circumvent our desire for and our commitment to Christ, which is where the real danger is. Jesus said that the “deceitfulness of riches” and the desire for other things can “choke the word” and make it unfruitful. (Mark 4:18-19).
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus states what we all know to be true: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21). We must recognize our need to constantly redirect our attention to the real Treasure. Jesus said in Luke 12:15, “life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” The Bible is clear that we will never be content as long as we’re chasing after more and more of the wrong things. We may think that these things will bring real happiness, but this happiness is elusive and often short-lived.
Consider this. Some of the most miserable people in the world are those who have the most possessions, while the people who are the happiest and most filled with joy & peace are those who don’t have a lot. Why? Because they have learned the true secret of joy and happiness. True joy and lasting happiness do not consist of the abundance of things you possess but rather from knowing and serving God and others.
The Lord wants us to consider what is most important in life. The Apostle Paul agrees, “I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation.” (Philippians 1:9-11 NLT).
Look for part two next month,
Pastor Bill Ochs
Planned Giving & Trust Director,
Stewardship Leader