Greed or Generosity

Luke 12:15

Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.

When someone asked Jesus to help him get his share of the inheritance from his brother, Jesus told a story. He described a man so rich that he built extra barns to store his harvest, expecting to relax and enjoy his wealth for years to come. But that very night, he died. He invested everything in this life instead of investing in God’s priorities. In the perspective of eternity his stockpile of possessions was useless, and he was a fool (Luke 12:13-21).

Now the problem with the rich man and his productive farms was not that his fields were productive or that he was making money Rather, the rich man was greedy. He considered his earnings to be his to use for his own pleasure. Jesus said: "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions” (Luke 12:15).

Instead of being God’s slaves who manage all the things he has given us for his glory and the love of our neighbour, we can become slaves of our money and possessions. We can become bound to our culture’s expectations of how successful people should live. So, we get our degrees, climb the job ladder, earn that salary, get that car, buy that house, and take that holiday to be seen by those people. But there is always more to acquire – a better job, salary, car, house, or holiday. There is always another barn to build, until we discover that we have wasted our lives focusing on ourselves, accumulating treasure we cannot take with us when our time is up.

Reflection Questions

Read the story Jesus told in Luke 12:13-21 again. Are you spending what God has given you on yourself, your pleasures, and your agenda? Or are you focused on God’s priorities and God’s agendas? When opportunities come your way, do you use them for your advantage, or do you consider how you could use them for God?