Value What's Valuable
Scripture: Luke 12:16-21
"16 Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17 He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ 18 Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. 19 And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ 21 “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”
Observations:
Jesus once told a story about a guy who had so much money he didn't know what to do with it, who suddenly died unexpectedly, leaving his money behind. His basic philosophy of life was that at least money was something he could count on to give him everything in life he thought was valuable. However, what he came to realize after he died was that money wasn't so dependable after all. In fact, his dependence on his money was the very thing that led him to ultimately deny the one thing that could have saved him- a right relationship with God. Jesus didn't criticize the guy because he had a lot of money, he simply pointed out that he was a complete fool for placing so much value on it to the point that his life, and ultimately his soul, depended on it. What he failed to reckognize was that God was the one who created the farm and allowed him to reap its benefits in the first place; but instead of acknowledging the source of his success, he focused more on the temporary instead of the eternal and it ended up costing him his soul.
Application:
Like it or not, we all value money. Why? Because it's valuable. But the only problem with valuing anything is that there is always a real danger of valuing anything more than we should. In God's eyes we're just as foolish to think that we can depend on anything we possess to give us what we think is valuable. In reality there's nothing more valubale than "a rich relationship with God" (vs. 21). If you suddenly found yourself bankrupt by the world's standards, would you feel "poor"? The answer to that question lies in what you value the most. All the things that we depend on (money, jobs, houses, cars, retirement, investments, etc.) only have eternal value to the extent that they point us back to One from whom they are supplied. Likewise, to the extent that our possessions fail to make us dependent upon God, we're really a lot more foolish than we realize.
Prayer:
Father, we recognize our dependence upon You as the source of all good things. Help us to keep our values in check and to cultivate a rich relationship with Your Son in all that we do. Help us to always look up and continue leaning fully on You today. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading Plan
"16 Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17 He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ 18 Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. 19 And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ 21 “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”
Observations:
Jesus once told a story about a guy who had so much money he didn't know what to do with it, who suddenly died unexpectedly, leaving his money behind. His basic philosophy of life was that at least money was something he could count on to give him everything in life he thought was valuable. However, what he came to realize after he died was that money wasn't so dependable after all. In fact, his dependence on his money was the very thing that led him to ultimately deny the one thing that could have saved him- a right relationship with God. Jesus didn't criticize the guy because he had a lot of money, he simply pointed out that he was a complete fool for placing so much value on it to the point that his life, and ultimately his soul, depended on it. What he failed to reckognize was that God was the one who created the farm and allowed him to reap its benefits in the first place; but instead of acknowledging the source of his success, he focused more on the temporary instead of the eternal and it ended up costing him his soul.
Application:
Like it or not, we all value money. Why? Because it's valuable. But the only problem with valuing anything is that there is always a real danger of valuing anything more than we should. In God's eyes we're just as foolish to think that we can depend on anything we possess to give us what we think is valuable. In reality there's nothing more valubale than "a rich relationship with God" (vs. 21). If you suddenly found yourself bankrupt by the world's standards, would you feel "poor"? The answer to that question lies in what you value the most. All the things that we depend on (money, jobs, houses, cars, retirement, investments, etc.) only have eternal value to the extent that they point us back to One from whom they are supplied. Likewise, to the extent that our possessions fail to make us dependent upon God, we're really a lot more foolish than we realize.
Prayer:
Father, we recognize our dependence upon You as the source of all good things. Help us to keep our values in check and to cultivate a rich relationship with Your Son in all that we do. Help us to always look up and continue leaning fully on You today. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading Plan
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