Fooled Financially
December 3, 2019
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?” Luke 12:20-21
Common sense tells us if you have more stuff then you have more ability to serve others. We think if we accumulate more and more, we’ll be more likely to give from our excess. Jesus knew that was not true. 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). He didn’t consider that everything that came to him wasn’t intended to stay with him. He didn’t see himself as a conduit of blessing.
Jesus proceeds to tell His disciples (which includes you and me) that our lives should follow a radically different path of generosity, rooted in living out His kingdom in the here and now.
The problem is, the more stuff we have, the more we want more stuff. Consumerism is addictive. Our natural tendency is to pursue more, bigger, and better. Then, the more stuff we have, the more we want to hang on to it. 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 it out. How much time do you have to spend taking care of all your clothes, your house, your car, your stuff?
The more stuff we have, the more it insulates and isolates us from the needs of others. We forget that what we give away is the only thing we keep. As we become more affluent, it is normal to be afflicted with greed and possessiveness. But everything we accumulate and gather here will be left here. The only thing we take with us to heaven is what we give away to bless the lives of others.
For His own reasons, God chooses to bless some with more resources, but not to fill our barns and bank accounts. 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 middle of a messed-up world. We get to be the hands of God passing on His love and provision to others.
- How is God leading you to use your resources to bless others in need around you? What can you empty out of your barn this season?