Rich Toward God: True Abundance
Faith & Finance with Rob West
Jesus warned his followers in Luke 12: “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” You might envy someone who is rich in material possessions, but that’s a dangerous road, since “stuff” can’t really satisfy your deepest needs. Today we’ll dig into God’s Word to discover the source of true abundance.
Show Notes
The Danger Of Covetousness
Covetousness is what happens when you see someone else’s possessions and want them for yourself. It’s part envy and part greed, and completely sinful. But what’s so dangerous about that kind of desire?Well, like any sin, its first effect is to draw you away from a right relationship with God. Envy can also destroy your relationships with other people. When you’re zeroing in on getting and keeping what you want, you’re putting your fleshly desires in God’s place. Selfishness obliterates your ability to love God and other people.
One problem with a materialistic mindset is that you start to believe “more is always better”, and you never have enough. Ultimately, covetousness is just a treadmill of frustration and desire. In Ecclesiastes, King Solomon calls it “chasing after the wind.”
Jesus warns his followers against this sin, but he also gives them-–and us-–the key to a better way of living: “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions”.In other words, you won’t find lasting satisfaction in getting more stuff. Material things just can’t give you the life you crave. So, what kind of abundance does produce life?”Finding Fulfillment In God
As Luke 12 recounts, Jesus gives the answer in a story we know as “The Parable of the Rich Fool”. He tells of a rich man who is so enamored of his possessions that he decides to tear down his storehouses and build bigger ones, promising himself a long and relaxing retirement.
Before the rich man can fulfill his selfish dreams, God comes to him and says, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” Jesus’s next words serve as a warning, but also a promise for those who “have ears to hear”: “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”As always, Jesus is addressing the hearts of his followers. He knows we live in a physical world, surrounded by desirable things. But God created men and women for more than just temporary worldly pleasures and achievements. According to Ecclesiastes 3:11,You Might Also Like
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