Lenten Reader | Day 11

March 1st, 2021

Treasure

Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

-Luke 12:13-21

In our modern world, it is so easy for me to want to side with the man who is wanting more and more possessions. In a world of so much uncertainty with employment, health, finances, and overall stability, I see some logic in wanting to have possessions to bring a sense of stability. I am a drug and alcohol counselor, and I see individuals who have no beliefs in God and/or no comfort in God. They have sought possessions and substances to help them with their lack of joy. I have taken this experience of these individuals, and I have thought, “what is missing from their lives? They have stuff but no joy.” I struggled with this thought for quite a long period of my life, and I thought, “money can buy happiness.” But I was mistaken; I never found the happiness and joy in life until I found the happiness and joy in God and fellowship with other Christians.

When I am closer with God, I am able to live within my means, give my tithes and be merry. I find so much peace in knowing that God does not judge me for the things that I have, the clothes that I wear, or the car that I drive. God loves unconditionally so that I do not have to worry about impressing others, but I can be glad and rejoice in his name. When I discovered this joy, I was freed. God is our Redeemer and Savior, and it is not only from this sinful world but also free from our own prisons of fear and judgement that we can put ourselves in.

To all of this, I ask myself this question: “If my life were to be demanded from me today, would people remember me for my things or for my love of God and a joy that is only found in God?”

-Nick Enix