Luke 12 15 21 NIV He said to

Luke 12: 15 -21 (NIV) “He said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions. ’ 16 And he told them this parable: ‘The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops. ’ 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 my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of grain 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 whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God. ”

He Forgot God James 1: 17 (NIV) – “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights. ” Deuteronomy 8: 18 (NIV) – “Remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth. ” Psalm 14: 1 (NIV) – “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God. ’”

He Forgot Others Greed stems from a word meaning “hunger” and means: “the consuming desire to have more” • The average size of the American home has nearly tripled in size over the past 50 years • The average American throws away 65 pounds of clothing per year • Americans spend $1. 2 trillion annually on nonessential goods, but give only 1. 9 % to charity

He Forgot Others Ephesians 4: 28 (NLT) – “Use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. ”

He Forgot That Man is More than Matter Jesus warned that, “life does not consist in an abundance of possessions. ” (Luke 12: 15) Matthew 6: 31 -33 (NIV) – “Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat? ’ or ‘What shall we drink? ’ or ‘What shall we wear? ’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ”

He Forgot the Source of True Joy Ecclesiastes 5: 10 b-11 (NLT) – “How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! 11 The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth—except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers!”

He Forgot the Source of True Joy A study published in The Journal of Human Behavior, found that affluent families are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety and substance abuse than less affluent families Psychologist Elizabeth Lombardo, who has studied highnet-worth families, writes, “We think external things we buy will bring us happiness, but then we get them and we wonder what’s next? That next thing has to be bigger and better than what we had before, or than what other people around us have. ”

He Forgot the Source of True Joy 1 Timothy 6: 10 (NIV) – “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. ”

He Forgot About Death Hebrews 9: 27 (NIV) – “People are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment. ” Psalm 49: 10 b-13 (NET) – “Fools and spiritually insensitive people all pass away and leave their wealth to others. 11 Their grave becomes their permanent residence, their eternal dwelling place. They name their lands after themselves, 12 but, despite their wealth, people do not last, they are like animals that perish. 13 This is the destiny of fools, and of those who approve of their philosophy. ”

He Forgot About Death “When I reach the end of my days, a moment or two from now, I must look backwards on something more meaningful than the pursuit of houses and lands and machines and stocks and bonds. Nor is fame of any lasting benefit. I will consider my earthy existence to have been wasted unless I can recall a loving family, consistent investment in the lives of people, and an earnest attempt to serve God who made me. ” Dr. James Dobson

Be Rich Toward God Refuse to be proud • Psalm 10: 4 (NIV) – “In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. ” Trust completely in in the Lord • 1 Timothy 6: 17 (NLT) – “Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our

Be Rich Toward God Draw a line when you have enough • Ecclesiastes 5: 13 (NIV) – “I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners. ” Practice generosity • Luke 12: 33 (NLT) – “Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. ”

Be Rich Toward God Live with eternity in mind • Psalm 144: 4 (ESV) – “Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow. ”

Christopher Newport