Luke 12:13-34 (New International Version, ©2011)
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
Do Not Worry
22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your lifea]">[a]? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
This passage of scripture contains some favorite verses of mine. I love the parts about not worrying - I remind my mom of that one frequently. The last line about "where your heart is" has always struck a chord with me as well.
The author tells us apart from God, there are more references to money and possessions in the Bible than any other single subject.
Why do you think this is so?
The first section in our text is titled "The Rich Fool." This man stored up riches for himself and had no relationship with God.
How do we balance the need in our lives to prepare for the future financially for ourselves and our families and still put God first?
What else stands out for you in this section?
"Do not worry." The author says that Luke makes it clear these words (this passage) are intended for Jesus' disciples -those who would follow Him. Today, that means us.
How do these words impact you? How do you suppose they impacted his disciples? What sense does this make for you and your life?
The final section is about possessions. We all have "things" that are important to us.
How does this section strike you? What makes sense and what doesn't? What does this mean for Christians today?
Other thoughts?
See you Thursday.
Question #1: I believe there are more references to money and possessions becasue money is the root to all things. Without money, even just a little, it is impossible to do anything. Even in the old testament money and possessions were discussed. God wanted us to understand that our "things" came after God and while it is important to have "things" and money it is not where our focus should be.
ReplyDeleteQuestions #2: This is a major struggle; especially in today's society where money is always at the forefront. I also believe it is not something that just happens. It is a process that is learned and obtained over time. Putting God first in the decisions we make with our money is a learned behavior and something between you and God.
Do Not Worry, 3 simple words that take a lifetime to learn. Worrying is a human behavior that is difficult to just stop. It's how we handle our worries that defines us. Years ago, I worried about everything but later realized it was more about controlling. Now I worry less and understand that in most situations there is nothing I can do to resolve the situation except to give it to God. There has come a relief in that. To understand that I don't have to worry because it does me no good. The disciples realized early on that Jesus knew what he was talking about and they learned to trust Him. Some of them doubted and worried but it got them no where. The disciples chose to leave their lives to follow Jesus when he asked them. For them, the worrying was left in their former life.
Last question: The media is constantly telling us that in order to be happy we need this or that and in order to make it in the world you need to have this or that. It's very easy to get caught up in this trend and to think we are only happy if we own stuff. To become comfortable enough in our faith and reliance on God is what allows us to see past the commercials and past the advertisements telling us we need this or that. By far the hardest thing to do but again, it is a process that I struggle with daily and often have to remind myself that "the stuff" doesn't define who I am. It's my relationship with Jesus and others that does.
My other thoughts....the subject of money and "stuff" is always difficult for all of us and we struggle with our answers and thoughts. I'm not sure why necessarily but it certainly is a private matter that doesn't get talked about openly. I hope you have a great discussion. I am sorry I will miss it. See you next THursday for sure.