Luke 12:15
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.”
“I wanna be rich, I wanna be famous I wanna have lots lots of money…” These words by one of our secular poets perhaps best describe what has become our ambition. Our idea of a blessed life is one that overflows with an abundance of material resources, fame and power being a good addition. Unfortunately, we want all these things for ourselves. That is what it means to be greedy – to intensely and selfishly desire something else, e.g, wealth, power, fame, etc. Alongside our greed, we look at people who have what we desire, and we covet what they have. What we don’t realise is that these desires are insatiable, and we will never really truly satisfy them. There will always be more to be desired, more to be acquired. As someone once said, “There are enough resources for everyone’s need, but there aren’t enough resources for one man’s greed.”
Jesus, in our passage today, warns us and exhorts us to pay careful attention, to guard our hearts against all forms of covetousness. He reminds us that life is not measured by what one has. You do not have a high-quality life because you have abundant material resources. And you do not have a low-quality life because you lack material resources. That is not how we are to evaluate our lives. Rather, as Jesus would later say, we are to be rich toward God (Luke 12:21). In other words, the account that really matters is your heavenly account. How much treasure have you deposited there? Unfortunately, there are many poor people who are wealthy in this present world. And there are also those who are poor both in this present world and in heaven. Riches or poverty do not automatically affect your heavenly account. Greed and covetousness do not discriminate. However, those who rightly measure their lives have learnt one secret – contentment. Paul was such a man, and he describes his life this way:
Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:11-13)
Christ, above everything else, is what we really need. May He help us to rid ourselves of every form of greed and covetousness.
Reflections
1. Would you say you are rich toward God?
2. What do you need to do to guard against the sin of greed and covetousness?
