| Our verse to DATE the Word on December 15 (12/15) is Luke 12:15 |
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| Luke 12:15 says, “And Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things one possesses.” |
| THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE NOT THINGS!! A double warning of “take heed and beware” begins this verse. While we should be listening to everything Jesus says, a double warning should have our full UNDIVIDED attention. ARE YOU LISTENING? ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION? Luke 12:15 tells us to WATCH OUT for our hearts COVETING or being GREEDY. The Tenth Commandment of the Ten Commandments instructs us “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.” Exodus 20:17 Of all the commandments this one is the most personal and secretive as it is broken with an attitude, an attitude that then will lead to actions. If I am coveting, you do not see it. If you are coveting, I do not see. It is an inside sin as one is never satisfied with what one presently has, and they have a driving desire to get more and more. There is never ENOUGH for them. There is no CONTENTMENT with the COVETOUS person. The coveting person makes gold their god! The admonition to be on guard, to be watching out for coveting comes in response to an unnamed man in the crowd who has asked Jesus to resolve a family dispute over an inheritance. While the request was out of line it presented Jesus with a tremendous opportunity to teach one of the GREATEST lessons we will ever learn. And what is that lesson? With the double WARNING of guarding against coveting, Jesus now teaches a lesson that flies in the face of what we have been taught and conditioned to think about money, things, and possessions. The WHY of why we should not covet (ARE YOU LISTENING) IS your life does not consist in the abundance of things you possess. YOUR LIFE DOES NOT CONSIST IN THE ABUNDANCE OF THE THINGS YOU POSSESS! As I write this and I read this statement from Jesus it comes across like a punch in the gut. We use to say the preacher was stepping on toes with that message. Well, I have to believe Jesus is stepping on a lot of toes with this teaching. We have been programmed to believe that money, things, and possessions determine our lives’ VALUE. The biggest house, best car, nicest clothes, most extensive bank account, 2nd, and 3rd home, etc. determine our SELF-WORTH. And with one sentence Jesus CONFRONTS and DEBUNKS that thinking. Your self-worth is not tied to your worth! Your worth does not determine your self-worth! Maybe you need to read WHAT JESUS SAID again: “For one’s life (your life) DOES NOT consist in the abundance of the things one possesses.” How do you now apply JESUS’ TEACHING to your THINKING? For me, it was a quote that helped me go against the world’s thinking. It goes, “THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE NOT THINGS.” The verse to DATE the Word on December 15 (12/15) is Luke 12:15. It says, “And Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things one possesses.” Are you GUARDING your heart against being GREEDY? Are you CONTENT or does your heart COVET for more and MORE? Are you able to embrace THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE NOT THINGS? Continue Strong content, satisfied with Jesus! And remember to DATE THE WORD |