One of our challenges for 2014 is to learn and live all 50 commands of Jesus. Jesus told us that following his commandments is a way to love him and a way for his love and his joy to fill our lives (John 15:9-12). In his Great Commission, Jesus tells his followers to make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey everything he commanded us (Matthew 28:19-20). So each week in this year we are learning and living one command of Jesus. Here is our command for this week...Week 18:
“Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions,” (Luke 12:15).
Application:
They were fighting … over stuff … and they turned to Jesus for help. “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me,” someone in the crowd yelled. Jesus did not intervene in the fight. Instead he issued a warning, a warning that we all need to hear. He said, "be on your guard against all covetousness."
That’s not a word we use very often today, but it is one we encounter all the time. The word “covetousness” means “the greedy desire to have more.” It seems like everyone today is chasing more – more money, more things, more house, more car, more toys, more activities, more degrees, more titles, more likes on social media, more, more, more!
Jesus said, “be on guard against all covetousness.” Why? Well, it is like chasing a rainbow – you never catch it. When your goal is more, you never have enough. Even if you do manage to accumulate a lot, you do not get to take any of it with you when you die (Luke 12:20).
But there is a deeper reason to be on guard against all covetousness: it’s a trick and a trap. Satan wants you to pursue abundant possessions so you miss out on abundant life. Earlier in Luke, Jesus was being tempted by the devil. The devil was trying to pressure Jesus into pursuing more for himself – more food, more kingdoms, more authority, more splendor, etc. Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy and said, “People do not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”
Life is not found in the abundance of possessions, it is found in God who gives abundant life. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance,” (John 10:10). When we pursue more of God in our life, we find that we have more than enough. That’s what the apostle Paul shared in his letter to the church in Philippi. He wrote: “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus,” (Phil 4:19). God can supply all our needs – spiritually, emotionally, physically – when we seek him first (Matthew 6:33).
So don’t fall for the trick. Don’t fall into the trap. Rather than trying to be rich in stuff, Jesus said to be “rich toward God,” (Luke 12:21). If you thought about the amount of God you had in your life like a portfolio, would you be rich, middle-class, poor, bankrupt, or in debt?
For just one week, try this. Take a break from adding more stuff into your life and focus on adding more God into your life – more prayer time, more scripture time, more worship time, more small group time, more serving time, etc. See if God does not fill your life in ways no material possessions can. How will you do this?
Share your comments and application ideas…
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