How Much is Enough?

Speaking to the people, he went on, "Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot." Luke 12:15

One of the biggest distractions that takes away from our relationship with God is money. When we do not have a balanced or proper understanding of wealth and material things, they can come to possess our attention, time, and devotion in disturbing ways with deep spiritual consequences. Jesus speaks about money a great deal because it is a spiritual issue, and if we do not think and act clearly about wealth it has the potential to destroy us. Consider that a large proportion of people who win the lottery end of bankrupt within a few years. It isn't the money that made them bankrupt it was their values and lack of foundation about money. When we have a skewed understanding of possessions and wealth it doesn't matter whether we are rich or poor, we are in spiritual trouble.

The man who built bigger barns to hold all of his stuff will never have enough to be satisfied, he will never have enough to feel secure. When we operate out of a mindset of scarcity, assuming that at anytime my provisions will run out, we miss the fact that it has been God all along who has been blessing us. God has taken care of us and blessed us in our lives, God will continue to provide for our needs and bless us in the future. All that I have and am is a gift of God's grace, it has never been about my ability to earn it or keep it, but about God's continuing blessings.

When we are driven to acquire more stuff, when we are obsessed with accumulating, when we needlessly get more and more, we must resist and remember. Resist the temptation to define success as "the one with the most toys wins" and see success in life as being content with what you have. Remember God's amazing grace in your life, and that God will continue to be present, continue to bless. As Jesus tells us: "fool! tonight you die and your barnful of goods--who gets it?"