“Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭12‬:‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In this verse from the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is answering a question from a man in a crowd who had asked him to tell his brother how to divide their father’s estate. Jesus, of course, is not an estate lawyer, and He responds with “Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that? (Luke 12:14 NLT)

‭‭This is a perfect teaching moment for Jesus, so he responds with today’s verse and follows with the Parable of the Rich Fool. The rich fool owns a farm that produces more than he can store, so he decides to tear down his old barns and build new bigger ones that can hold everything the farm can produce. He thinks that this will enable him to store enough for years, so he can sit back, relax, and “eat, drink and be merry”.

God has other plans, telling the man that he will die that very night, and asking him who will get everything he has worked for. As Jesus points out at the end of the parable, “a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God. (Luke 12:21 NLT).

‭‭Our society today puts tremendous pressure on people to buy things, invest in big houses and shiny cars — they are the signs of success in our world. Jesus tells us that having that rich relationship with God is much more important.

How about you? Are you rich in the right way?

Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:

Dear Father, keep me from coveting and envying those who “have everything”. My earthly life is short, and living only for earthly possessions is futile. Help me to live this life in spirit and truth, only for Christ and to his praise and glory, producing a great reward in heaven. In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.