Be On Guard

Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.

Luke 12:15

IN THE GOSPELS, Jesus gives more warnings about the deceitfulness of money than the destruction of adultery. Why? Perhaps it’s because the deceitfulness of wealth is more subtle than sexual sin. A man who is having an affair is very aware of his actions and sin, even though he may try to justify his actions. If he’s honest, he’ll know how he got there. With wealth it’s different. Greed has a subtle way of telling us that we always need more, and it has the ability to justify the desire for more. It’s for the family. I’ve worked hard for this. I deserve it.

The parable Jesus tells in Luke 12 makes the point that pursuing riches with no regard for God is a bad idea. Wealth isn’t necessarily a bad thing—Jesus never said that money in and of itself is bad—but He does warn us to be on our guard because it’s so easy to transfer our confidence and security from God to the money in our bank accounts.

We can prevent this from happening by seeing all of our money as God’s money to be stewarded for His glory. We must remember that it is God who has given us what we have. Near the end of this section, Jesus says, “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be” (Luke 12:34). If our wealth is our treasure, we will hoard it for ourselves. But if God’s Kingdom is our treasure, we will hold our wealth with open hands.

BOTTOM LINE

Money for money’s sake is fruitless and ultimately empty. Money for God’s sake is a means to His glory.

Moment of Strength: Luke 12:13-34