Christian Living

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BEWARE OF COVETOUSNESS!

And one of the company said unto Him, "Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me." And He said unto him, "Man, who made Me a judge or a divider over you?" And He said unto them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth." Luke 12:13-15;

During the earthly days of our Lord Jesus Christ, a certain man who felt cheated by his brother ran to Him to seek justice. The man’s brother had probably refused to give him his own share of the inheritance left behind by their late father. The aggrieved man was not ready to let go; he wanted to get his own share of the inheritance at all cost, so he ran to the Lord Jesus to seek assistance. He was however disappointed with the response he got. The Lord was not ready to involve Himself with such issues. Why didn’t the man go to the magistrates and arbitrators who are experts at such issues? It is apparent that the man did not come to Jesus to seek eternal life. He came purposely that the Lord might assist him get the good things and riches of life. The man’s assumption was that the authority and mandate of God on the Lord Jesus was to pursue earthly gains and riches, but the Lord made him to understand that life is more than possessions.

Most people in the end time Church are like this man from the multitude. Unlike the disciples and the Apostles who willingly left everything that freely belonged to them to seek after eternal life by following the Lord Jesus, most of us like this man are not prepared to let go of anything, even for the Lord. We would rather want to grab the good things of life at all cost. Of course, it is not surprising that an unregenerated man is greedy and is usually concerned with his own well-being and interests without any consideration at all for others; the evil nature that dwells in him permits him to stampede, crush, tear and pull down others in order to have and grab all. But with us, the children of the kingdom, who have the nature of God in us, it must not be so.

Dearly beloved, I want to let you know that anything that is for you will surely come to you without struggling and hassles. Although this is not to suggest that we should be indolent and not make any attempt at all to appropriate that which rightly belongs to us, but we do not need to struggle, stampede or fight our way as the people of the world do. God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. The world says ‘to have more, grab as much as you can at all costs’ but the Lord says, " a man's life consists not in the abundance of the things which he possesses." Of a truth the life of a man is not made meaningful by the riches and wealth he possesses, even when he has them in abundance.

Most people, inspite of their great possessions and wealth, are miserable and empty. They are continually living in fear and heavy burdens. The reason is not far-fetched; life is not made meaningful by what we possess but by our relationship with God.

The scripture says: ‘but godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 1Tomothy 6:6-11 (NIV)

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