Is it possible to covet your own wealth and goods? According to Luke 12:15-21 it certainly is, which puts a switcheroo on the idea that the only covetous nature we had to keep an eye on was in regard to the property of others. Not so fast, ladies and gentleman. Here’s how the scripture reads:
And he said unto them, take heed and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consists not in the abundance of the things which he possesses.
The Bible goes on to relate a parable that, translated loosely goes like this: A rich man had a good year in terms of crop production. A VERY good year. As most people who star in Biblical stories do, he proceeded to make a bad decision when it came to terms of his soul. Since he didn’t have room to store all the crops, he decided to tear down his barn and build a bigger one later but, in the meantime, since he had plenty of food to last for many years, he decided to take it easy for a while – eat, drink, party a little bit. What’s the harm? Then God stepped in and reminded him that if he were to die right then, the crops and all his wealth would be wasted and that simply is not cool.
The point is that the man was wasting resources wallowing in his own gloated consumption. Jesus defines this as coveting your own wealth and it is a bad business practice to indulge in, especially for those claiming to live their lives by scriptural guidance. Today we could interpret the parable as a warning against wanting more than we need. Call it keeping up with the Jones’s if you like. The point is that conspicuous consumerism is not the way to land in God’s good graces.
While some believers will say that an abundance of wealth is evidence of God’s grace and good works in their lives, and maybe it is, but shouldn’t we also pay attention the words Jesus spoke in Luke? Will you risk directly contradicting Jesus in order to lay claim you’ve correctly interpreted God’s will for your personal situation? And one shouldn’t interpret this to mean that God expects you to live day to day. You must provide for your family and socking aside money and provisions for a rainy day is part of that – but wasteful over-consumption because you have the wrong attitude in your heart – that’s something else.
The Solomon Success Team
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