Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – July 7, 2016
By Tripp Prince
And Jesus 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.” Luke 12:15
I don’t particularly enjoy going to the mall. It’s a place that I typically avoid if possible, yet this week I had to return an item at a store that was located inside our local mall. Interestingly, less than 24 hours later, I came across Jesus’s words in Luke 12. With this experience fresh in my mind, I had one clear thought as I read this passage: as a culture we have let our guard down when it comes to possessions!
We scurry from store to store, busily looking for the latest fashion or the next unbeatable sale, and we do so at such breakneck speed that we rarely reflect upon how this lifestyle is shaping our hearts, lives, and desires. Without realizing it, we can create habits of consumption and acquisition that ultimately make us slaves to our possessions.
Simply put, you and I have too much stuff, and Jesus wants us to see how our stuff has too much of us!
In a culture that is driven by the accumulation of wealth and possessions, it’s incredibly easy to fall prey to thinking that our worth and value is tied up in the things we own. If we have lots of stuff, we have worth. If we have limited finances and resources, our value in society and as human beings must be limited as well. While this may be a common way of thinking in our culture, it goes directly against the values of God’s kingdom!
In the Kingdom of God, your value is found not in what you have but in whose you are. Notice Jesus doesn’t caution against possessions in and of themselves. We all must purchase things and use resources throughout our lives. No, he says to be on guard against the abundance of possessions. Jesus says this because he knows that the more we possess, the easier it is for us to find our worth and identity in our stuff.
This is hard for our affluent Western ears to hear, yet as we grow in wisdom and discipleship, we must open ourselves up to these words of Christ and learn to desire him above all else!
Prayer
Father, deliver us from the love of comfort, wealth, and possessions, and help us know that our worth and identity comes only from knowing you and your great love for us.Application
To practically live in Jesus’ words, take stock of your possessions this week and try and find three things that you can give away as a blessing to others!Related Reading
Ecclesiastes 5:10; Matthew 6:24; 1 Timothy 6:10; Hebrews 13:5Post/Tweet today
Without realizing it, we can create habits of consumption and acquisition that ultimately make us slaves to our possessions. #WisdomHunters #toomuchstuff!Worship Resource
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