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| And He said to them, "Take head,and beware of all covetousness; for a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." (Luke 12:15) |
The world assesses a person's net worth based on the quantum of assets he owns.
And so there is that rat-race mentality to acquire more and more.
It has been said, "he who dies with the most toys wins".
Even Christians often fall prey to this scourge that sweeps through all humanity.
All over we find people striving hard to add to their possessions, to gain more,
believing that more will bring happiness, security, peace and joy.
We live in an age of consumerism. We consume food, drink, entertainment,
knowledge, gadgets, etc. We network and live in a generation that is connected through technology, and we abound in information, possessions and connections. It is what life is all about?
Jesus once said, "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?" (Mark 8:36).
Yet this is the characteristic of our generation.
Men and women are lost in possessions, lost in information, lost in connections.
These things have not brought the happiness the world promised it would bring.
Instead, it has brought fragmentation, the disintegration of the family, secret sordid lives and lonely hearts.
People are lost and searching for answers. But life is not about possessions.
Life is not about information, nor how many connections one has.
Life is about God.We were created for Him (See Isaiah 43:7 & Col 1:16b).
We need to work for a living, but it is only the means to an end; the end being God Himself.
Pope Benedict XVI stated; man needs his daily bread of course, but above all he needs
the true bread which Christ himself.
In the chapter of Luke 12 above,Jesus indicated that life is about seeking Him and His Kingdom
(Luke12:31). Then further down He adds this warning: "Where your treasure is, there will your
heart be also" (Luke 12: 34). Here lies the central issue. Do we treasure possessions, information
and connections? Or do we treasure the Lord?
Finally, Jesus puts it bluntly by saying; "Look, if anyone would come after me he must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it,
and those who lose their life for my sake,and for the sake of the Gospel, will save it.
For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and loose his own soul?"
(Mark 8: 34-36). It is Jesus' way of saying that he who dies with the most toys does not win,
in fact, it's just the opposite. He looses. He loses everything that matters including the thing that
matters most: his soul.
As Paul would say, Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing
Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse,
in order that I may gain Christ. (Phil 3:8).
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