Based on Luke 12:13-34 (New King James Version)
“Then one from the crowd said to Him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’ But He said to him, ‘Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?’ And He said to them, ‘Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.’ Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: ‘The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.’ ’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ ‘So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. Then He said to His disciples, ‘Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? ‘And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. ‘Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Is it wrong to have wealth? Is it bad to worry about things that are necessary for the body? Are there limits we should keep in mind? Seeing the context of the Word, we should be able to understand that the Lord is not condemning having what is necessary, because if it were so, then the Father would not provide such a thing, because nothing bad comes from the hand of God. What is necessary is necessary, and God is the One that will provide it. So then, what is the issue that the Lord is dealing with here?
For starters, we see here that there is an argument with an inheritance, and an inheritance is not something necessary. In other words, it is not revenue that you count on, otherwise, a person would need to depend on the deaths of much family, and often. So then, it can be concluded that an inheritance is an unexpected wealth that is received, economically speaking (although there are people that are so evil that they wait anxiously for what they can get when a person dies, like vultures rounding their prey right before dying, and that is the problem). That is why the Lord first warns against covetousness, because He knows that good intentions are not behind this argument for the inheritance. Remember that He was (and is) God, and God knows everything, even the deepest things within man. There is nothing hidden from Him. And the Lord continues dealing with this issue of covetousness with the parable of a man that wanted to store even more for later, and that he was not considering that he could die at any moment, and that all of his effort would be lost in the future.
So then, is it wrong to worry about needs? The issue is that our focus should not be on the things of this world. Of course, we need to work, and be responsible. Furthermore, it is part of our testimony as Christians to be responsible people, and the Lord even taught that we should pay taxes, and that we need to give Caesar what is Caesar’s, but also, and even more importantly, give God what is God’s. And there is the issue. We need to work. We need to keep track of what is necessary. We need to be responsible with everything in our life, but never at the risk of giving more importance to the temporary than to what really matters, what belongs to God. Nothing in this temporary world or what is material should consume us nor monopolize our thoughts. As the Word says: “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” 1 Corinthians 6:12. From the moment that something outside of God governs our thoughts, and takes priority over everything, it has become an idol, and idolatry is sin. And one of the things we must be most careful with is greed, and turning greed into idolatry, because both, especially when combined, are a path that leads directly to perdition. The Word says this for example: “Do not overwork to be rich; because of your own understanding, cease! Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle toward heaven. Do not eat the bread of a miser, nor desire his delicacies; for as he thinks in his heart, so is he. ‘Eat and drink!’ he says to you, but his heart is not with you. The morsel you have eaten, you will vomit up, and waste your pleasant words.” Proverbs 23:4-8. When greed turns into idolatry, there are two very destructive things for the soul that happen: the fear of God is lost, and there is so much trust in the illusionary that people do whatever is necessary to gain what they desire. All limits are gone.
So, what should we do as believers? This is God’s counsel: “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing.” 1 Timothy 6:6-14. And this is what should matter to us, what is most important because our future depends on this: “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:9-10. We will all need to give an account, without exception. Do not let yourselves be deceived by doctrines that deny divine responsibility, by doctrines that put God’s grace as a license to sin. God cares a lot about what His people do. Therefore, this is what you should really be concerned with above all things: “Will I be truly pleasing to the Lord when He judges me? Lord bless! John