“And he said to them, "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 ESV). In this verse, Jesus commands us to
beware of covetousness or to wrongly desire something, possibly without regard
for the rights of others. This command comes out of a request made by someone in
the crowd listening to Jesus, who wanted help in getting part of an inheritance
from a family member. In this context Jesus gives a warning against equating a
good life with the accumulation of things.
Jesus illustrates this command with a parable of the rich
man who should have a very good harvest and decided to tear down his old barns
and build larger ones so he could store the harvest and enjoy a good life for
many years. Jesus calls him a fool because his focus is on the benefits of his
harvest and not on the needs of others or on his own preparation for eternity.
Jesus refers to anyone who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward
God as a fool.
Prayer
Father, living in a country of great wealth, it is easy to
covet things and build your life around them and be distracted from preparing for
life after death. With such access to things, we have become comfortable and
lose sight of the importance of spiritual growth and the need to share the
gospel with others. Father, my concern for the western church is that as we
covet things and refuse to share the gospel, we are opening the door for
persecution to come upon us as judgment. Father, have mercy on us and draw us
back to you.
See "The Commands of
Jesus" Index to view other commands.
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