From Luke 12: 13 Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." 14 But he said to him, "Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?" 15And 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." 16 Then he told them a parable: "The land of a rich man produced abundantly. 17 And he thought to himself, "What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?' 18 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. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' 20 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?' 21 So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God."
If you've ever wondered where Jesus got His material for some of His greatest parables, it was from people like you and me. Worried about things, money, bills, family relationships, death, sickness, we still provide plenty for Jesus to talk about and pray for! Here is the source of what came later in chapter 15 and the prodigal son; Inheritance and a fair share of it. Some tend to worry about who's going to get what the older our parents get, even in the poorest of families. "Grandma said I would get her ring!" "Dad said I would get his pocketknife." Is it any different among those who argue about millions? Jesus says two things; Who made me a judge over you in these matters, and , Be careful about worrying about greed because in the final analysis "one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." (v. 15). Then the story to drive home the point, an already rich man gets even richer and begins to worry and plan about what he is to do next. Then he comes upon a plan and shares it with himself. Don't you love the dialogue? "And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry."
One of my guilty pleasures is watching a show about sharks. Not the kind in the water, but three savage men who sell real estate in the largest city in the USA. They will do just about anything to make the deal and make unheard of amounts of money. What makes the show worse is they will show the sale price and the commission received in the sale of the property. Last night was the season finale and one of the sharks was shown ordering his younger brother around as he packed, and he remarked to the camera, "I've made so much money that I don't know what to do with, but I am moving to a bigger place." Rich in things, poor in spirit. This was Jesus' point. When it all comes down to it, how rich are you towards God? The old saying is true, "You can't take it with you." And I love hearing folks say, "You never see a U-Haul on the back of a hearse." And, most folks are not buried with their shoes; socks or bare feet as they awake to meet their Maker.
One of our greatest worries is about money and making ends meet. We worry about feeding our families and having sufficient health care. We worry when we hear of people losing their jobs and politicians never tire of promising new jobs and incredible remedies for the economy. And we fret about things that in the big picture of things count for nothing if we're poor where it counts the most; our faith walk with God. How much have we invested in our heavenly treasure? Have we cared and demonstrated that care towards others? Have we taken seriously what Jesus said in Matthew about doing for "least of these" was doing for Him as well? Have we paid daily in our spirit by our time in prayer, Bible study, worship opportunities, small groups, Sunday school, the reading of books that bless our spirit?
Remember the question I posed earlier that Wesley loved to pose?
How is it with your soul?
PRAYER: Loving God, may it be well with my soul because of what You have shared for me to take advantage of. Let me seek to invest more in the things that ultimately will count, things of love, service, and compassion towards others. This I pray in Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
