October 17, 2005

Lk 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 the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.”

It is so easy to start hoarding things without even intending to. There is some element of greed and excessive neediness in my natural spirit. I clean out my small room and before I can realize it there are accumulations of items that I might need and things I have no use for but do not have the sense to give away. It is a futile way to spend life to put energy and time into a constant accumulation and storage of material goods.

I have put God first in my life but need to rededicate my energies and time every day to the journey to God and heaven as my one direction and all else will follow. I am happy that I now spend a fraction of the time that I used to spend on simple activities such as shopping or arranging rooms. I really do not own anything in this world. Everything is a tool to serve God. I pray today for the strength and wisdome to do God's will and perform the best service that I am able this day in all that I do.