EARTHLY STUFF
LUKE 12:15, 21, 31, 34
LUKE 12:15, 21, 31, 34 NKJ
15”... “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses”.
21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
31 But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.
34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
I am doing something a bit different with this chapter. There is a connected theme that starts in verse 13 and continues to verse 34, so I am connecting some of the main verses.
Jesus said to be aware and beware of covetousness, the driving desire for earthy stuff, because our lives are so much more than that.
We are to be rich toward God, not simply collect earthly stuff for ourselves. This would involve having a heart for God and His Kingdom, not primarily focused on ourselves and what's only good for us. Notice the problem is not with the earthly stuff, the treasure, but with our attitude and heart about possessions. We are to seek, be aware of, conscious of God's Kingdom. That would be His interests, and His plans and the earthly stuff would be added to us.
And then Jesus sums up this teaching with the big locator. Where your treasure is there your heart will be also. If our treasure is limited to the earthly stuff we can accumulate for ourselves, that will reveal our heart. If our treasure is God, pleasing Him, honoring Him, and seeking to expand His Kingdom, then our heart is there.
Notice Jesus is more concerned with where our heart is than what we possess. Earthly stuff, what we need and want in life, is not wrong; loving the earthly stuff too much is where we get off track.
APPLICATION
This is a passage that presents the question: where is our heart? An effective way to find the answer to this question is what is on our mind and where are our thoughts consistently focused?
One of the beautiful things about adjusting is that we can change the direction of our heart. And a changed heart will show up in changed attitudes, thoughts and actions.
PRAYER
Dear Heavenly Father,
Help me keep my heart on You and Your Kingdom. You add so much more to my life than earthly stuff ever can. I want to be rich toward You.