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Hear Here: 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?" 15 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." 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." (Luke 12:13-21 NRSV)
A marvelous Monday be yours, dear Friend! Praying that the weekend blessed you with time in worship, time with loved ones, and time to renew and refresh. As we start this week may it be rooted in Jesus and His refreshing strength that is ours as we pray and worship Him. Lift up a prayer of thanksgiving for the arrival of Binni Beth Davis, born early Saturday morning to Blaine and Taylor Davis, of Gonzales, Texas. Welcome to our world, Binni! May the Lord bless you and your family is our prayer. Please pray for the family of Shirley Spoon, whom we laid to rest on Saturday morning. Shirley was a longtime member of FUMC, played the piano and sang in our church. She died unexpectedly in Lewisville, TX. May God's comfort be with her loved ones. Remember to pray for one another. Pray for yourselves.
"I went from deeply in debt to having more money than I know what to do with!" Such is the message of a lot of publications, YouTube videos, Facebook ads, and other social media marketing campaigns. The message is that you too could be rich, if you buy into our training. After all, who can forget the motto of the 80s and 90s, "You can never be too skinny nor too rich!" which if unspoken, is still a reality for many. May i remind us that Jesus spoke more on money and possessions than He did on prayer. You wonder why? Take a look at today's story from Luke.
This was not the first time Jesus was asked to judge between parties. His presence and power made people respect Him and to view Him as they might have an Old Testament judge. It's a family dispute about money. "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." No one likes to get involved in family disagreements not even armed police officers! Jesus takes the question to speak on a deeper matter, greed. "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." This was the true issue at hand, the greed of the sibling against the brother keeping the inheritance and not dividing as he should. Jesus follows this with a parable; A rich man had land that produced an abundant crop, more than he dreamed. With this bounty came a problem; no place to store the crop. The man decides to tear down his old barns and build up new larger ones, where he could store the crops. And at the end, a clever declaration; "And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry." The man thought he was now free from worry, but Jesus slams this with the reality of life; "You fool! This very night your life is beind demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?" No one knows how long or short our life may be. The true riches that ultimately matter are the spiritual ones we store in Heaven. Jesus says, "Be rich toward God; not the thigns of this world."
A dear friend when in high school, told his cousin about the importance of knowing and accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior. The young man laughed and said religion was for old ladies, got into his car and drove off. That was his last drive for he crashed and was killed. The pain in my friend's heart is still real after all these years. He tried, but his cousin declined. He had earlier said that he had all his young years to live and have fun, and when he was old he might take Jesus seriously. That day never came. No one is guaranteed a long life or a later day when we can decide if we want Jesus as Lord or Savior in our old age. Years spent trying to get rich here, are years lost in the better, richer things of the Lord.
There is nothing wrong with being rich, but when the riches become our gods or idols, then we are in danger of losing the true riches that are ours in Christ Jesus. I saw a graphic right now that said, "Some people are so poor all they have is money." Our choice is to be rich in the things that count: love, joy, peace, family, friends, a walk with Christ, etc. etc. In my ministry I have been blessed to know incredibly rich people in the things that matter, and these riches are not the kind you try to hide in safes, our secret places or under lock and key - these reside in the heart and spirit.
PRAYER: Loving God, as we begin the week, most of us will work for that which provides for us and our families, yet remind us of the things that provide the greater good, knowledge of You and Your love. Bless us to be a blessing; this we pray in Christ Jesus, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be a true bank teller that tells others about where the true riches can be found.
Blessings of love,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
