“And he said to them, ‘Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.'” (Luke 12:14)


Jesus cautioned us about the dangers of discouragement and despair. He want us to avoid giving way to doubt or succumbing to temptation when we see the alluring temptations of the world or the prosperity of the wicked. Those who are greedy, it seems, always seem to get what they want and to enjoy it. Yet greed is a great destructive force in the world that afflicts most people even Christians, a sinful trait that we must avoid. When we look at others prospering we are often tempted to compromise with the things and ideology of the world and give way to sin, to want what everybody else has. This is easy if we buy into the lie that we are missing out on the important issues of life. Jesus reminds us that the life He gives us is the most important issue of existence, not money, fame or pleasure.

Jesus tells us that as long as we trust Him, we should not worry or fret because He will supply us with everything we need. As we face the future it easy to lose faith, to forget that Christ is going to return. Yet when we face the future with hope and expectation we will realize that all the injustices we see will be righted. All the suffering we endure now will vanish. So when we think about how we are to spend God’s money and the talents He has given us, we must be wary of copying the ways of the world or serving our own desires. We should always be mindful that since we have been called into God’s kingdom we must then carry out the work He has given us with gladness and peace. The entire resources of His kingdom are at our disposal. We are to use those resources not to glorify ourselves or increase our personal prosperity or prestige but build His kingdom, not ours.