“Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
For many years, I was in pursuit of an abundance of possessions. Of course, one of the reasons I pursued an abundance is because I wanted to leave an inheritance for my children and grandchildren. Another reason is that I didn’t have much growing up and so I pursued those things that I didn’t have because our lives were measured by the abundance of possessions. However, over the past year or two, my perspective of life has changed and I don’t have a desire to have an abundance. My desire now is to be financially free and have adequate income to sustain my upcoming retirement.
There is nothing wrong with having an abundance of possessions. After all, Abraham had an abundance of possessions. However, we have to be careful that we do not become greedy in our pursuit of wealth.
My title for this article today is taken directly from Luke 12:15 which states “Watch out” Be on guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
Watch Out
Society has dictate that one’s success in life is measured by the abundance of possessions. As result, many people become obsess with the consumption of material possession. They eat, drink and sleep about acquiring wealth and sometimes they will do anything to get it. This in itself leads to greed. We have to be very careful that we do not become too greedy. I find that they more we have, the more we want. It is like we never reach a place where we say that is adequate. Sooner or later, we accumulate so much possessions until we do not know what to do with them. As I mentioned in the introductory paragraph, there is nothing wrong with acquiring material possessions, something becomes wrong when greed takes place and we allow these possessions to become our Gods.
There is more to life than the abundance of possessions. Why do you need all of the things you have? Are you trying to showcase to the world your status? Are you trying to prove a point to people? Are you trying to be in the VIP circle? What are you really trying to do with all of these possessions? You will die and leave these possessions behind and sometimes when you die, it creates more havoc because family members and friends are fighting over the possessions.
I believe you need to develop a plan on how much you think you need to survive when you retire. Ensure that you have adequate funds to last you for the rest of your life. If you believe you have enough, then there is no need to run after everything you see.
Life does not consist in abundance of possessions.
We have already establish that life does not consist in the abundance of possessions. Imagine having all of these possessions but you have no time with your family because you are spending all of your time pursuing wealth. Imagine having all of these possessions but you are not taking care of your health. Imagine having all of these possessions and you are still unhappy. Imagine having all of these possessions and you still do not know the Lord as your personal Saviour.
There is more to life than acquiring riches. Life is about spending quality time with your family and pursuing the purpose for which you were created. Life is about spreading the word of God and helping others to achieve their goals. Life is about being happy. Life is about loving one another, encouraging one and uplifting one another.
Conclusion
Be very careful that you do not become greedy. When you become greedy, you can become a very dangerous person. You would lie, steal and betray others to get what you want. Is it worth it? Examine life and ask yourself why you are pursuing all of these material possessions. When is enough, enough? Stop measuring success by the amount of things you have. Some of you have more than you need. Why don’t you share with others who are in need?