Money Matters

Luke 12:13-21:

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” Then he told them a parable. “There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God.”

Blog:

Money “matters” in this world – it’s often needed in order for people to purchases goods and services that are critical to our survival.  The reality, however, is that there are very few things that are critical to our survival (e.g. food, water, shelter, clothing) and most else that we purchase is actually more of a “want”, “desire”, “pleasure” etc.  For example, many people own dozens of shirts, pants, shoes, dresses, etc. – and many Families own multiple vehicles.  Many people have pantries filled with all kinds of food – a lot which isn’t even true nourishment for the human body.  In the U.S., 84% of households have at least one smart phone and 1 in 3 households have 3 or more – while 80% of households have at least 1 computer.  The bottom line on money is that there are very few things that money is necessary for (when it comes to survival).  St. Paul told St. Timothy (1 Timothy 6:6-10) that, “Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world: and certainly we can carry nothing out. But having food, and wherewith to be covered, with these we are content. For they that will become rich, fall into temptation, and into the snare of the devil, and into many unprofitable and hurtful desires, which drown men into destruction and perdition. For the desire of money is the root of all evils; which some coveting have erred from the faith, and have entangled themselves in many sorrows.”  Jesus is clear in the Gospels that we are to “guard against greed” and that our lives do not “consist of possessions”.  It’s okay to have nice things but falling in love with them and the pursuit of “more, more, more” (think of Looney Toon’s Daffy Duck famously screaming, “mine, mine, mine”) can put us on a path away from Godliness and, potentially, on the path to destruction.  So, lets’ be sure to remember Who gave us the money that we have and Who’s money it is.  We are mere stewards of the Heavenly Bounty that God Blesses us with (in all regards) and, like accountants, we will have to face a Heavenly Audit (of types) when we stand before the Lord again one day; but, only God knows that date and time…