Luke 12:19-21 (NKJV) 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ 21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
As followers of Christ, it should be our desire to handle our finances in a way that pleases God.
This can be a challenge, and it requires us to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit to strike the balance that places us in the center of God’s desires for us.
Spending foolishly and without discretion will lead us to poverty and constant financial difficulties.
On the contrary, packing all our material gains away like a squirrel storing nuts for the winter season will lead to us hoarding our material blessings instead of using them to sustain ourselves and also bless those in need, which we are repeatedly told to do in God’s word.
In the verses above, the man in this parable had much material wealth. He had so much, in fact, he lacked sufficient space to store it.
In his desire to maintain possession and control of it, he built new barns to store his goods, surmising that he would be secure for the future.
While this may seem proper to our logical minds, we need to remember what Jesus told the rich young man who asked Him what he needed to do to inherit eternal life.
Jesus listed several things that revolved around obeying God’s commands, such as not lying, not stealing, honoring his parents, and loving his neighbor as himself.
When the young man acknowledged that he already did all those things, Jesus commended him and told him that if he desired to be perfect, he must sell all he owned, give to the poor, and follow Him.
At this the man was sad, since his wealth was great.
This one parable should give us understanding as to the importance of handling our material possessions properly. It should not be taken lightly.
The man who had grand plans of building new barns in which he could store his goods was called a fool for doing so since his life would be required of him that same night, leaving all his wealth to someone other than himself.
What will we do?
Will we be like the man storing up wealth? Or the young ruler who walked away sad when told to sell everything he owned and give to the poor?
Or will we submit wholly to God, including our earthly possessions?
Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie
Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443
401-439-3780
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