If we haven't experienced an inheritance dispute, we have certainly seen them portrayed in movies and on TV. They look absolutely awful and bring out the very worst in people! Our Gospel opens with Jesus being asked to settle one of these disputes and he wants no part of it! He warns of greed and the need for many possessions.
Jesus demonstrates his point in a parable about a man who had accumulated and stored such a large harvest that he didn't have anymore room for it so he tore down his barns and built bigger ones!
At first glance, there doesn't seem to be a lot wrong with this, right? How awesome would it be to have so much stuff you needed more space? This guy seems to be saving and staying prepared, right?
What's wrong with that? There isn't anything wrong with having money and things, the problem comes when your love of money and things gets in the way of your relationships with others and with God. They become a problem when they effect your heart!
How many times to do we see people working so hard so they can keep accumulating stuff? In the process of this, they neglect relationships, they don't help out others in need, and they just amass more and more money and possessions but keep them to themselves.
Saving and being prepared is not wrong, but when possessions become most important and people are neglected, it becomes a problem. When we are saving and preparing because we are not trusting in God to provide for us, our heart suffers. When we are more concerned about stuff and not concerned about the people we become, we truly miss out on life!
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be." ~ Matthew 6:19-21
What good is it to have a lot of stuff or be wealthy if we don't have anyone to share with? What good is it to amass things that can be destroyed or taken away? When we leave this world, we won't be bringing our toys with us!
God cares about our hearts! He wants us to put our stock in things that increase our heart. He wants us to love and care for others. He wants nothing to come between us and Him. He doesn't say that money and possessions are bad or wrong, it's our love of them and how we treat them that is dangerous!
Stop storing stuff! Start doing things that are good for your heart and soul. Start collecting more friends! Start taking care of family! Love and be loved!
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