And he told them this parable: The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, “What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.” Then he said, “This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God. — Luke 12:16-21
It has been a week since we began fasting, temporarily eliminating something that has become too big in our lives. How is it going? Many years ago everyone in my Bible study gave something up for Lent, and this was about the time the cravings began letting up. Do not let your guard down too much, because that is when things often try to sneak back in.
On to our theme for today: possessions. Do you put too much emphasis on what you own? Do you have plenty of things but still find something is lacking?
In our passage for today, the problem was both the man’s actions and attitude. He had several barns full of grain, meaning he already had an abundance for himself. Instead of sharing his grain, which he probably would not have noticed was gone, he made plans to hoard it and “eat, drink, and be merry.” God called him on that.
In this congregation, we share well. When there is a need, people step up quickly. Our food pantry volunteers do an excellent job of getting food to those in the village, and have made several confidential porch deliveries during the pandemic. Corporately, we do not struggle with holding on to our stuff.
How do you view your own possessions? Nowhere in the Bible does it say possessions are wrong, but you can fall into the trap of trusting in what you have rather than asking God how to use what He has given you. You cannot take it with you when you die. How tightly are you holding onto what you own?
To Think/Pray About Today
How do you view your stuff? How do you use what you have to glorify God?
Prayer Focus: Cedarville Police Department
Cedarville United Presbyterian Church 