Be rich towards God
by Stuart Gray
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Then Jesus said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions’ (Luke 12:15).
Read Luke 12:13–21
Stories of inheritance disputes often appear in the media. They mostly display some sort of greed on behalf of one party or another. With his trademark wisdom, Jesus avoided engaging in the inheritance dispute in this story. Instead, he used it as an opportunity to teach about greediness and materialism.
The dictionary describes greed as manifesting in various forms, encompassing excessive desire for material possessions, wealth, power, and even opinions or personal image. It can be driven by a desire to accumulate, hoard or manipulate to gain an advantage.
Greed can lead to stress, anxiety, depression and a sense of emptiness. Greedy behaviour can damage relationships, as it often involves manipulation, exploitation and a lack of empathy. The most important relationship it damages is our relationship with God. Greed focuses on the present, material life, not on what God wants us to be.
We live in the richest period of human existence. The great majority of Australians have an abundance of possessions. Does that make us greedy? It is often said that things are getting worse, for example, that people are becoming greedier, but I doubt the fact of greed has changed. It’s just that our ability to express greed is greatly enhanced.
The parable in our text does not condemn the man for being rich but for his attitude towards his abundance. He believes he is set for life because of his possessions. However, his life ends suddenly; his earthly possessions go to someone else; he has not prepared himself to meet his maker and judge.
Jesus says in verse 21: ‘This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.’ What a beautiful phrase ‘rich towards God’ is. Jesus urges us to be generous, to trust in God, to live in relationship with God and to value what he values: compassion, justice, humility and generosity.
However, we still need to ask ourselves: Where might I be putting trust in material things rather than in God?
Heavenly Father, you have given us lives of abundance, but we too often think we live in scarcity. Help us to recognise that our material wealth can be used to bless others and is not just a tool for self-indulgence. We pray that we can continually focus on being rich towards you. Amen.
Stuart is retired and, with his wife Pamela Dalgliesh, lives in Mansfield, Victoria. Stuart has a background in agricultural science, rural journalism and corporate affairs. He now loves living a peaceful life on a small farm in the beautiful High Country of Victoria. He mentors learner drivers and is a Red Cross Patient Transport driver. Stuart is also involved in the Mansfield Anglican church and the Mansfield community.
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