Jay Mijares spoke to us on Sunday about “The Tyranny of Things”, a lesson taken from Luke 12:13-21. In this parable of the rich fool, the rich man thought only of how to store all his surplus grain so he could relax and “eat, drink and be merry”. God quickly reprimanded him (Luke 12:20-21) saying, “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.”
What was this man’s problem? God never entered his thoughts. He gave no praise to God. He was materialistic, focused on glorifying himself, forgetting that God was the source of his riches. Also, he apparently didn’t care about others since he was storing all his grain for himself.
In today’s buy-more-buy-better culture, storing our grain might translate to a new car, a better home, or expensive clothes. But what does any of that matter? Our very lives are loaned to us. God will call for us one day - in his time not ours. How will “storing our grain” serve us then? Seeking comfort with things can actually compromise our faith; it shows we don’t trust that God will provide what we NEED.
What can we learn from this message? We learn not to envy the wealthy:
Wealth makes you self-sufficient (which means you don’t need God)
Wealth isn’t permanent
Wealth won’t protect you when God calls you home
As Jay said, time is the only commodity we can’t buy back. What will our legacies be with the time we have here? Let’s strive to live with selfless hearts and to search for the wealth only Jesus Christ can give.
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