Luke 12:5-8, 13-21

The one you must fear is God, for he has both the power to take your life and the authority to cast your soul into hell. Yes, the only one you need to fear is God. “What is the value of your soul to God? Could your worth be defined by any amount of money? God doesn’t abandon or forget even the small sparrow he has made. How then could he forget or abandon you? What about the seemingly minor issues of your life? Do they matter to God? Of course they do! So you never need to worry, for you are more valuable to God than anything else in this world. “I can assure you of this: If you freely declare in public that I am the Son of Man, the Messiah, then I will freely declare to all the angels of God that you are mine.

Just then someone spoke up from the crowd and said, “Master, you should compel my older brother to divide the family inheritance and give me my fair share!” Jesus answered, “My friend, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” Speaking to the people, Jesus continued, “Be alert and guard your heart from greed and from always wishing for what you don’t have. For your life can never be measured by the amount of things you possess.” Jesus then gave them this illustration: “A wealthy land owner had a farm that produced bumper crops. Every year the harvest was so great it filled his barns to overflowing! He thought, ‘What should I do now that every barn is full and I have nowhere else to store more? I know what I’ll do! I’ll tear down the barns and build one massive barn to hold all my grain and goods. Then I can just sit back, surrounded with comfort and ease. I’ll enjoy life with no worries at all.’ “God said to him, ‘What a fool you are to trust in your riches and not in me! This very night the messengers of death will demand to take your life. Then who will get all the wealth you have stored up for yourself?’ The same thing will happen to all those who fill up their lives with everything but God.”