A Heart of Greed

Luke 12:13-21 (NIV)

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.”


Reflection

Born in 1919, my grandfather grew up in the Great Depression before serving in World War II, including the Battle of the Bulge. He was a God-fearing legend who lived among us, until he passed away at the age of 98 in 2018. He worked hard as a teacher and farmer, invested heavily in his local church and family, and lived out the hard lessons of life with kindness, discipline, and frugality. 

Around 2015, I was working out in the farm shop with my grandfather and I noticed he was wearing pants that appeared to be the bottom half of a cream leisure suit circa 1983, held together with strips of ancient curled-up-in-the-corner duct tape. Though no Warren Buffet, my grandfather surely could afford a new pair of work pants from the hardware store for $12.99! That, however, was not how Grandpa was wired. Why spend money on something new when you could simply patch the (very) old? 

I grew up wearing some of Grandpa’s hand-me-down work jackets and coveralls. I was the oldest of four boys and there were times finances were lean around our house. Frugality is hardwired into my duct taped dress pants’ DNA.

Now, when life’s inevitable big expenses arise, and my savings account dwindles, my frugal panic kicks in with all of the “what ifs:”
 

• What if the refrigerator breaks? 
• What if we have a medical emergency?
• What if the car breaks down?

My heart of greed wants the answer to my life’s “what ifs” to be a robust enough savings account to cover every contingency that could arise. I yearn to, “Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry” (verse 19). But I’m set apart by God for more than that.

This parable offers a very different directive for my life. God has already lavishly provided for me, and He will continue to provide. Instead of looking to my savings for “what ifs,” I am to instead trust and view God as my contingency plan, my security, and my provider. This is extremely difficult for me to do, but it is also remarkably freeing.

Gulp…I wrestle with this often, and earnestly work to improve in this area, but that doesn’t mean I’m throwing out my decomposing work pants. They still fit, and with a bit of duct tape, they’ll be just fine. Have you seen what they’re charging for pants these days?!
 

Action Step

1. Today, reflect on where you turn for security. How can you take those areas and turn them over to God? Find the dark corners where subtle — and not so subtle — greed and gluttony have invaded your life. 
2. Identify where you are storing up your treasure. Minimize the stuff in your life and switch your focus from those ultimately worthless material items to God, who provides all we really need. 

Prayer

Lord, please help me to trust in Your gracious provision for what I truly need and not look to earthly measures offering false security. Help me to look to You, Lord, and turn my worrisome “what ifs” over to You. Let me know the peace that can result from wholly depending upon, living for, and focusing on the light of Your extravagant love and mercy. Amen.