What Is This Life About?

Day 97: Luke 12:8-34

“And he said to them, ‘Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”' - Luke 12:15 ESV

Advancement has to be one of the deepest core values of our American culture. We too often believe that more is more, and we just have too much evidence to prove otherwise.

Jesus, yet again, was being dragged into another controversy. This time it was an internal family dispute. Don't you love when you find yourself in the middle of one of these? Yeah, me neither. 

Jesus refuses to intervene on this guy's behalf. Instead, he hammers him with the statement quoted above. Our lives do not consist in the abundance of stuff that we can accumulate. 

Getting this guy's share of the inheritance was not going to cure his covetousness.

So, if this life isn't about acquiring more and more, what is it about?  Well, Jesus shows us in verses 32-34. Life is about advancing God's kingdom (not our own). Life is about holding all of our possessions and finances with open hands. Life is about storing up treasure that can never be stolen by a thief or a dip in the stock market.

Life is about making Jesus the treasure that our hearts follow.

"Not making a legal judgment, Jesus did make a moral one. Your request shows how greedy you are, he told the man. Lay aside your greed. Think about life. What is most important to you? Money or relationship with God? Surely, your life is more important than what you own." - Butler, T. C. (2000). Luke (Vol. 3, p. 204)