A portion of Luke 12:15 explains, “Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions”. While Jesus was teaching in a poor community one day, a man decided to interrupt the spiritual teaching and ask Jesus to make a moral, if not a legal, ruling in his family dispute centered around an inheritance. Instead of receiving from Jesus what was more valuable than gold, this greedy man was most worried about getting his half of the family wealth. Needless to say, neither the conversation nor the outcome of the story ended well for the man in the Luke 12 parable, commonly titled, The Rich Fool. What Jesus realized, and we must be reminded of, is that the “heart of every problem is the problem in the heart” (Wiersbe). Jesus is explaining that a man’s life is more than the amount of his possessions. There is no amount of possessions that will ever positively impact or complete your soul. Your life is your soul. Possessions, wealth and stuff can only impact our feelings, which are not synonymous with our soul. When we believe that life is only defined by the amount of stuff we have accumulated, it is one of the greatest reversals of God’s truth. When we believe this lie, we are basically saying that the created should serve the creation instead of The Creator. Jesus calls this FOOLISH! Friends, when it comes to possessions, wealth or stuff, it is never about how much we have, it is always about our attitude and the placement of our wealth, possessions, and stuff. This week, consider taking some of your extra and sharing with someone who does not have enough. There is a great blessing in store for both the giver and the receiver when generosity is extended. Stay Close to Jesus. – Pastor Byrce
