Luke 12
Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 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.” And He told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “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. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’ “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?’ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:13-21 NIV
Because of the tremendous power that money has in the lives of most people, Jesus taught on this subject quite often. He warned against greed, because it takes our focus off of God and onto worldly possessions: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:10). Money and material things are very satisfying (temporarily) to our flesh, but “the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other…” (Galatians 5:17). Placing too much emphasis on material possessions will fight against the growth of our spirit, and hold us back from reaching God’s potential for our lives. We need to look at money with the proper perspective. 2 Corinthians 9:7 says: “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” God clearly does not want us to hoard our money and use it solely for our own purposes. In addition, He wants us to WILLINGLY give a portion of it away in order to help others and further His kingdom. Is Jesus saying that it is bad to save your money? Absolutely not. Saving money demonstrates good stewardship for the resources that have been given to us by God. However, we should not keep all of our money, ignoring the needs of those around us. We should also trust God and His provision, and not save every penny possible with fear as our motivation. God will sometimes bless us so that we can, in turn, bless someone else. Other times God will give abundantly to us because He wants to bless us. Whatever financial gifts God bestows upon you, make sure to handle your money and possessions with a loose grip, always being willing to give generously if God calls you to do so.
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. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 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! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? 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. 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! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.” Luke 12:22-31 NIV
Jesus commands us not to worry, and explains how foolish it is to do so. “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (verse 25). Worry is unproductive and unnecessary, given the fact that we are all cared for by a loving and generous God. God takes care of His creation, including us, and He knows all of our needs. When problems of life start to overwhelm us, we are told to bring our troubles to God, as He can handle them for us: “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Despite the amazing comfort that this scripture should bring, it is still often difficult to completely eliminate worry from our everyday lives.
Where does worry come from? 1. Worrying arises when we insist on our own way and make our own plans, instead of being content with God’s plan. Jesus was able to live without anxiety, because His purpose was never to accomplish His own goals, but to fulfill God’s. If your plans do not turn out as you wanted, trust that God’s path for you will certainly be better! 2. Worry surfaces when we are impatient, and insistent upon our own timeline. “Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for Him to act” (Psalms 37:7). Have faith that He will take care of you in His perfect timing. 3. Worry emerges when we allow our faith to falter. Lack of faith gives Satan an opportunity to fill our thoughts with destructive words and emotions, including anxiety. If you struggle with worry, focus on these words and trust in His promise: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). Amen!