Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.” [Luke 12:15 (NLT]
An illustration of a man stooped over with an enormous sack on his back adorned the cover of the church program. The man had a troubled look on his face as if thinking, “I’ve got this all this, now what I am supposed to do with it?” The words “Life does not consist in the abundance of possessions,” were superimposed over the picture.
Jesus told a parable about a rich man who needed to build a bigger barn to store all of his grain and goods. That very night, he died and everything he’d amassed was lost—left for someone else to have and enjoy. Most of us have way too much stuff but, instead of bigger barns, we buy larger houses, install cabinets in the garage, rent storage units or build sheds to house our things.
Stuff and such—we all have it and, chances are, we all have way more than we need or can possibly use. I don’t think I realized how much stuff we’d acquired until we sold two vacation homes this past summer. One home had been ours for thirty-seven years and the other for twenty nine and a whole lot of stuff and such can be accumulated in that amount of time. Although we sold both homes furnished and much was left for the new owners, there was plenty that had to be removed. As we decided what would go to our kids and friends, the charity resale shop or Goodwill, the dump, or back home with us, I realized (and was embarrassed by) the quantity of stuff we’d managed to amass over the years. How many parkas, boots, jeans, sweaters, caps, sneakers, and gloves do we need, especially when there are so many without any coat, pants or shoes? How many CDs, DVDs, books, games, and toys does a family need when there are children who don’t even have a set of crayons? I was shocked at how large we’d allowed that bag on our backs to get and how little we appreciated all that was in it.
We own our possessions but, if we’re not careful, our possessions can come to own us. When our stuff and such become a burden, as they were for the man on the church program, it’s not time to build a bigger barn; it’s time to get rid of something! Possessions, when no longer used or appreciated, belong in someone else’s barn! Then, instead of building a bigger barn for our things, we can build bigger barns to shelter the homeless, heal the ill, teach the uneducated, and feed the hungry. Let’s never make the mistake of thinking that, “He who dies with the most toys, wins!” As Jesus pointed out, that man doesn’t win, he just dies!
Abundance isn’t God’s provision for me to live in luxury. It’s his provision for me to help others live. God entrusts me with his money not to build my kingdom on earth, but to build his kingdom in heaven. [Randy Alcorn]
Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. [Luke 12:33-34 (NLT)]
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In the many television tributes to the recently deceased actor Gene Wilder, a scene from the movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory frequently has been aired. In it, Willy tells Charlie not to forget what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he wanted. When the boy asks what that was, Wonka replies, “He lived happily ever after!”
I often find myself lost in the Bible, fascinated by this amazing book of history, poetry, passion, and wisdom. Comparing translations and reading commentaries helps me understand the context and meaning of verses. Knowing something about the specific church to whom Paul was writing, for example, allows me to better understand his directions, many of which seem peculiar in today’s world where churches don’t argue about circumcision and food isn’t offered to idols. For example, Paul wasn’t playing fashion police when giving instructions about hair length and head coverings to the church in Corinth. Although Greek women worshipped without head coverings, Jewish women had always covered their heads in worship—an uncovered head for them was a sign of loose morals. Moreover, in Corinth (the city with Aphrodite’s temple and its 1000 prostitutes) both long hair on men and short hair on women were signs of prostitution. Paul was trying to unify both Jewish and Gentile believers and prevent anyone’s appearance from interfering with their ability to be a witness for Christ. Bible study also makes old familiar verses take on deeper meaning. David’s sorrowful words of repentance in Psalm 51 are even more poignant when we know they refer to his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah. Bible study, however, is far more than an intellectual exercise; it enables us to know God as He revealed himself in Scripture and then to weave His word into our daily lives.
I have a small wooden box on my desk—my “God box.” It’s where I literally give my concerns to God; right now there are three items in it. The first is a photograph of a little girl. It is my grand, a sweet child with three congenital heart defects—none of which is going to disappear and all of which promise more trouble in the future. She also has learning issues—none of which will dissipate and all of which will cause more difficulty as she progresses into higher grades. The second item is a medallion from a sobriety program. It represents several people I love who have battled alcoholism or addiction—a battle they will continue to fight daily for the rest of their lives. The third item is a laminated card on which is written Reinhold Niebuhr’s Serenity Prayer. That one is for me.
Devotions of the Heart 