Scripture
Luke 12:13 – 34
Observation
The acquisition of earthly treasure is a desire we all have from childhood, it is a desire that we must learn to suppress. I talked about the lack of respect for Jesus that the crowd had back in Luke 7 but this is unreal, a man in the crowd tries to use Jesus for financial gain. Well maybe that isn’t so unreal seeing how prevalent that thinking has become through the centuries.
The give me more attitude that this guy was living by caused him to have a grudge against his older brother. Jesus told him not to be jealous because having all the toys and money isn’t what matters:
Luke 12:15, 23 Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
23 For life consists of far more than food and clothes.
These things seem pretty important to us, without them we are pretty unhappy.
Man is always tempted with wanting more, but the writer of Hebrews says that we should be content with what we have because we have something better than money, God is always going to be there for us.
Then Jesus tells us about the man who has an abundance and what he should do with it.
Luke 12:21 "Yes, every man is a fool who gets rich on earth but not in heaven."
How do I get rich in heaven? What should my abundance be used for?
Luke 12:33 Sell what you have and give to those in need. This will fatten your purses in heaven! And the purses of heaven have no rips or holes in them. Your treasures there will never disappear; no thief can steal them; no moth can destroy them.
Fatten your purses in heaven because this life and its riches are temporary,
Luke 12:19-20 And I'll sit back and say to myself, "Friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Wine, women, and song for you" '! 20 "But God said to him, 'Fool! Tonight you die. Then who will get it all?'
This is an opportunity for Jesus to show us the practical application for the message of love that he has been teaching. No better way to show love than with a gift, that is how Christ showed us his love.
1 Peter 1:4 And God has reserved for his children the priceless gift of eternal life; it is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.
Just like we saw in verse 33, the purses of heaven have no rips or holes in them.
Everybody likes a gift, but to the person that has unmet needs financially or physically your gift is a demonstration of Christ love and an opportunity to give a witness to how his love has affected you.
Luke 12:31 He will always give you all you need from day to day if you will make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.
It matters what we do with all of this stuff because the way we use our money and our stuff affects the kingdom of God. If our primary concern is the kingdom of God, then our attitude towards what we have been blessed with on this earth will change. We cannot look at any of these things the same as the rest of the world; my money, my stuff, my time, my vacations will all be used to build the kingdom of God. When the kingdom of God is our primary concern then we will not be lacking in our day to day needs. You may be thinking vacations? Why not use them for a mission trip.
Application
I will use my resources of time, talent and treasure for the kingdom of God. I have been blessed with resources that I must use to show God’s love to others.
Prayer
God I give to you my time, my vacations, my money, my stuff and my talents for you to use.
