18"Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '
20"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?'
21"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." Matthew 12:16-21
This is one of those lessons that we've been working on. In today's society and today's uncertain economy and world we often hear about the importance of saving for tomorrow. In our financial aspect we are told that we should have six months worth of incomes saved up and hiding away in a bank in case something happens with Andy's job. In our home life, we are told to have three months worth of provisions and food on hand, in case of disaster or a pandemic. And while I am all about being prepared, and we always have a well-stocked pantry, isn't that a little excessive? I mean, if you're working very hard to put things aside for a later time, who's top say that you're actually going to need what you've put away? And in the case of foodstuff, it does go bad or expire after a while, so then you're back to where you started and you have to go through the process all over again.
And in the meantime, while we're focusing on squirreling away, there's a family across town who is looking at empty pantry shelves and an empty bank account, and they wonder where their next meal is coming from. And then when there is a request to help restock the local food pantry or you hear of a family in need, you rationalize keeping most of what you have. You rationalize that this extra food on hand is important for your children's well-being should there be a power outage or a disaster or you get laid off. We keep children's clothes in tote after tote and bag after bag, just in case we might decide to have more children down the road. We keep unused electronics on hand, just in case the new one we purchases goes on the fritz.
Shame on us. We are so focused on ourselves and the "possible need" in the future, that we don't think to open our eyes and look around us and see all the need and the hurt. And yes, I mean even with the bank account. If we are truly focused on God and what he has for us, then we will know that he will provide. He will take care of us in every storm that comes along. So when we hear of that family who lost everything in a house fire, we can write out that big check and drain our savings. Isn't it worth it? The sense of security that we get from a stocked pantry, a full basement, and a padded bank account is false. It is false security. One day our dollar could be worthless, one day our basement full of stuff could flood, one day insects could completely devastate our pantry, but God will always be there. He is our sense of security, He is the need we should focus on.
Because we do need Him. We need Him more than anything. When our heart feels empty or heavy it's because we haven't been spending enough time in His presence. When I've spent time with God, whether it be in a church setting or here in the comfort of my home, when I'm away from God I miss Him. My heart almost feels sad because I'm not in an active state of worship. God is all I need, and when I focus on that, and focus on Him, He will take care of all that extra stuff. Because that's what it is- just stuff.
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