PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Luke 12:13-21
What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?
“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed!” (Luke 12:15)
This seems to be a legitimate request: he wants his brother to be fair.
Shouldn’t we bring our petitions like this to Jesus?
Why does Jesus say that he didn’t come to such matters?
Isn’t God’s kingdom also about restoring justice and equity?
Jesus sees that the problem lies deeper, deeper than this injustice.
We want Jesus to fix the world around us; Jesus comes to fix us.
We prefer to focus on other’s problems (government, enemies, opponents, etc.)
But Jesus looks in my heart and focuses on my issues.
“Lord, what about him? What is that to you? You must follow me.” (John 21:22)
Maybe “all kinds of greed” is buried in my requests to Jesus.
Not just greed for money, but for personal comfort, safety, health, wealth.
How often are we asking Jesus to make us more generous?
Jesus wants me to follow him, and wants to help me with my deeper issues.
Maybe my prayers should not be ‘change them’, but ‘change me!’
PRAYER
Lord, as long as I am denying the deeper sins in my own heart, you cannot help me. Change my heart, Lord.
I have to grow the attitude to my own wealth and possessions: “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” In all my blessings – they are to be used for kingdom purposes – not to make my life more comfortable – comfort is being happily engaged in Kingdom work – being ‘rich toward God’ – as God is so rich to me. Lord help me to be a blessing to others!
‘Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.’ Yet what do we do. The first part of our lives we gather material goods and in the latter part of our lives we get rid of what we have gathered. Gathering for self and not using the blessings for the Lord. We always want more. My focus needs to be on the Lord using what He has given me to be a blessing unto others. All what I own I owe unto the Lord to be used in Kingdom service. I need to focus on what the Lord God has done for me and not focus on what others have. I need to keep my eyes on Jesus.
1 Not what these hands have done
can save this guilty soul;
not what this toiling flesh has borne
can make my spirit whole.
Not what I feel or do
can give me peace with God;
not all my prayers and sighs and tears
can bear my awful load.
2 Thy work alone, O Christ,
can ease this weight of sin;
Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God,
can give me peace within.
Thy love to me, O God, not mine,
O Lord, to Thee,
can rid me of the dark unrest,
and set my spirit free.
3 Thy grace alone, O God,
to me can pardon speak;
Thy pow’r alone, O Son of God,
can this sore bondage break.
I bless the Christ of God;
I rest on love divine;
and with unfalt’ring lip and heart,
I call this Savior mine.