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How Much Is Enough? – Part 1

Then He said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’ Luke 12:15

What does ‘the good life’ mean to you? Driving the fastest car? Owning the biggest house? Wearing the latest clothes and having the most prestigious job? God’s concept is very different. Jesus said, ‘Guard against…greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.’ G. K. Chesterton said, ‘There are two ways to get enough. One is to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less and less.’ Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn discovered this truth in a Soviet prison when his freedom, his friends, his home and his books were taken away. After months of solitude in Antarctica, Admiral Richard Byrd wrote, ‘I’m learning…a man can live profoundly without masses of things.’What a great place to arrive at! Harold Sala writes, ‘People today are possessed by possessions as no other generation…The more complex life becomes, the more convinced we are that we need more to be happy. Having obtained what we think we need, we soon become unhappy because a model with more bells and whistles comes out…It takes far less than we think to discover happiness if [it] comes from within and we break the stranglehold things have on our lives.’ So, how much is enough? Jesus told the rich young ruler who wrestled with that question, ‘…Sell your possessions…give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me’ (Matthew 19:21). Not the answer he expected! Does that mean God is opposed to you having money? No, He’s just against anything taking His place in your life! He knows that ‘Your heart will be where your treasure is’ (Matthew 6:21).

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me live simply so others can simply live. In Jesus’ Name, Amen