Focus
Relax and clear your head. Listen for the voice of God. What is God saying to you today?
Read
Luke 12:13-21 (NRSV)
Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ’What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ’I will do this: I will pull 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, ’You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”
Reflect
Our lives and possessions are not our own. They belong to God. We are merely stewards of them for the time God has given us on this earth. Like the person in today’s scripture, we rebel against this truth when we want to be in charge of our lives and our stuff. Yet this truth is actually good news. Because all that we are and all that we have belongs to God, our future is secure beyond measure.
The rich farmer was a “fool” not because he was wealthy or because he saved for the future. He appears to have lived only for himself, believing that he could secure his life with his abundant possessions, which made him a fool.
The secret to a fulfilling life is being content with God’s love, which turns whatever we have into everything we could ever need. It is a life of loving God in return and, therefore, serving those around us in love—especially by sharing what we have with them. Jesus calls this “being rich toward God” (Luke 12:21).
When we find our lives in this way, we can see the folly of thinking that anything else could possibly satisfy us. Then we can see the truth that “one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”
Pray
Dear God, my life and my possessions are not my own. They belong to you. Help me to live in the fullness of the new life you have given me. Today and always, may I live my life loving you and others. Through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Go with God.
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