Luk 12:13 Someone in the crowd said to
him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with
me." 14
But he said to him, "Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator
over you?" 15 And he 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." 16 Then he told them a parable: "The land
of a rich man produced abundantly. 17 And he thought to himself, 'What should I do,
for I have no place to store my crops?' 18 Then he said, 'I will do this: I will pull
down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my
goods. 19
And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many
years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' 20 But God said to him, 'You fool! This very
night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared,
whose will they be?'21 So it is with those who store up treasures
for themselves but are not rich toward God."
The
underlying ideology that informs much of our world’s culture is consumer
capitalism. This results in never ending pursuit of possessions as the sign of
achievement in life. In resisting this Jesus warns that “one's life does not consist in
the abundance possessions." Instead
we are invited to become “rich toward God”
which Jesus calls “true riches” (Luke 16:11).
Later the Christian Church would refer to ‘true riches’ as being the
kindness of God[1],
the riches of His Glory[2],
the riches of the knowledge of God[3],
the riches of God’s Grace[4] the spiritual inheritance of faith[5] and
the assurance of faith[6]. All
of these describe a relationship with our Creator which is greater than
temporary material possessions. This is best summed up in the words of the
writer of the First Letter to Timothy:
1Timothy 6:17 As for those who in the
present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on
the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with
everything for our enjoyment. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good
works, generous, and ready to share, 19 thus storing up for themselves the treasure
of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life
that really is life.
Ordinary 26 / Pentecost +19
48 God Supplies Our Every Need
The Scripture passage
for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other
Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 292.
This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.
This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.
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