Scripture:

“Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’ But he said to him, ‘Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?’ And he said to them, ‘Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’ And he told them a parable, saying, ‘The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”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 12:13-21 (ESV)

 

Perspective:

Jesus was talking to a group of people, and someone wanted him to settle a dispute. A man wanted his brother to split his family’s inheritance with him. The family inheritance was usually given to the oldest son in the family. We don’t know the constraints of the situation that would cause this man to make such a request. However, Jesus offered a different response. He told them a story of a rich man who accumulated more and more, which resulted in the need for more storage for his possessions. This rich man didn’t use what he already had and add on to it. Instead, he started over building barnes when he could have started with what he had. This man had been productive and blessed, but his blessing ended up being all about himself. It’s the stuff that he was after, and all the stuff consumed his life so that he couldn’t even see the other opportunities right before him.

 

We also live in a culture where “more is more.” We build bigger houses, garages, and storage units to store our possessions at great expense. While there is nothing wrong with God’s blessings and provision, stuff will only give us so much. Stuff won’t be there to comfort you when you’ve had a tragedy. Stuff won’t hold your hand through celebrations and tears. Even though Jesus pointed out this rich man’s possessions, he narrowed in on the heart of the issue. It really had nothing to do with all the things that the man was accumulating. It was the rich man’s heart. The rich man thought the blessing was for himself, and ended up missing out on what truly mattered. If our life pursuit becomes about accumulation for own sake, we miss out on some of the greatest blessings that money can’t buy.

 

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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About Hona Amer

I help people live life to the fullest. Check out my book, Smart Work U. Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. In order to receive updates, subscribe below.

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