| Galatians 6:9 – In Due Season |
But
God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and
the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who
lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:20-21
ESV)
We
very seldom view accumulating stuff as a barrier to serving others.
Common sense would seem to say that if you possess more stuff then you
have more with which to serve others. Jesus appeared to see this from a
different perspective. In Luke 12 Jesus tells a parable of a rich man
whose land is especially productive and has much more than he needs. The
rich man comes to a simple conclusion that he will store up the
blessings of God (Luke 12:18-19).
Jesus
proceeds to tell His disciples (which hopefully includes you and me)
that our lives should follow a radically different path rooted in living
out His kingdom in the hear and now. Here’s Jesus’ radical conclusion
of how that should look:
Sell
your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with
moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does
not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where
your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Luke 12:33-34 ESV)
As
followers of Jesus, a big part of our mission (our reason for existing
on this earth) is to be a glimpse of Jesus’ coming kingdom. Think of our
life’s misson as being an appetizer for the amazing banquet that is to
come (check out this parable too Luke 14:12-24). Jesus seems to
repeatedly say that our desire to hold on to the stuff of this world
creates a big barrier to us living out this mission…
Here’s a few thoughts on why:
The more stuff we have, the more we
want more stuff. Consumerism is addictive. Our natural tendency is to
pursue the bigger, nicer, better, fancier ____________.
The more stuff we have, the more we
want to hold on to our stuff. Somehow our stuff easily becomes the
source of our security and satisfaction. Our hearts have the capacity to
turn almost anything into an idol.
The more stuff we have, the more our
stuff becomes the desire of our hearts. We often think that wherever
our heart is that our treasure (money & resources) will follow.
Jesus says it’s the other way around (Luke 12:34).
The more stuff we have, the more of
our time and energy it requires. Just check out our calendars. A lot of
time is spent keeping up our nice stuff rather than sacrificially
serving others.
The more stuff we have, the more it
insulates us from the needs of others. Everyone (both wealthy and poor)
has needs, but all too often pursuing bigger better stuff removes us
from intersecting with those in need.
Does
God choose to bless some with larger houses, nicer cars, and more
resources? Certainly. Does God lead some Jesus-followers to reach out to
the wealthy with the good news of Jesus? Of course… BUT here’s the big
bottom line: If God blesses us with a lot of stuff , it’s so we can be a
blessing to others and become a glimpse of His kingdom in the midst of a
messed up world.
How is God leading you to use your resources to bless others in need around you?
source : shortdailydevotions.com
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