Seeds of Wisdom

BE A GOOD STEWARD, FOR YOU OWN NOTHING

Luke 12:15 - “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.”

Jesus describes a rich farmer blessed with abundant crops who gives no credit to God, nor gives any thought to being a steward but thinks only of himself. Jesus calls him a fool, not because he had great possessions, but because his possessions had him. Similarly, in Revelation 3:14-17, we get a chance to eavesdrop on God’s letter to the church in Laodicea. Because the people in the church took such pride in their wealth, they concluded their material blessings indicated they were right with God. But God exposed their blindness, nakedness, and depravity. In both these cases, their unhealthy relationship to wealth was the root of their spiritual blindness.

A powerful example of how our relationship to money impacts our spiritual lives is found in the parable of the four seeds and the four soils in Mark 4. Jesus explains the meaning of the third seed. “Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.” Do not miss the critical message stressed here. Of all the things Jesus could have mentioned, He calls out the deceitfulness of wealth and the desire for more things which lead to the real danger of “making the Word unfruitful.” A wrong relationship with money is not primarily a financial issue but a spiritual one that robs God’s Word of its fruitfulness. Remember we brought nothing into this world!

Further Reading: Luke 12:15-21, Mark 4, Revelation 3:14-17

Prayer: Pray that you will be a good steward of all that God has given you.