Luke 12:13-21 (NRSV)
Read Luke 12:13-21 on biblegateway.com
Verse 13Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." Verse 14But he said to him, "Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?" Verse 15And he said to them, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." Verse 16Then he told them a parable: "The land of a rich man produced abundantly. Verse 17And he thought to himself, 'What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?' Verse 18Then he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. Verse 19And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' Verse 20But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' Verse 21So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God."
Devotion
Take care! This is the usual way I end a phone conversation. It is the typical way I sign a letter. It is what Jesus tells the crowd as he introduces the parable of the rich man who gets richer. Take care, because there is danger all around. Take care, because there is so much in this world that can do us harm. You wouldn’t think a parable about a big harvest would begin with words of warning. Isn’t a big harvest just what is hoped for in farm country?
But take care, because poverty and hunger are not the only things that might kill you. Too much of a good thing is still too much. Wealth, comfort, ease, they might not harm your body (although my doctor says they might), but they might very well kill your soul. Wealth is too dangerous to keep in big stacks around your house. You need to share it.
Take care!
Prayer
Caring One, you are concerned about my well-being. You know all the ways I can go astray. Teach me to take care, so that the blessings you give do not become burdens instead. Help me to love the Giver more than the gift. Amen.