Devotion: Spend

Then He said to them, “Watch out and guard yourself from all types of greed, because one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”  Luke 12:15

This week’s scripture lesson has been like a thorn in my side for a while. Pastor Greg’s sermon helped clarify some points but I still have that awful feeling this scripture is pointing directly at me. You see, I grew up poor in wealth but rich in love.

When I looked out my bedroom window, all I could see was dirt, for miles. My father worked hard to make that dirt grow things and sometimes the rain came to help. Because “things” came hard for us, store bought things were rare. I won’t go into the things I didn’t have, but I knew I didn’t “have” much. I’ll use that as my excuse for my excesses now.

This assignment caused my to take a hard look at myself. At last count, I have 26 (!) collections of things. Everything from music boxes to cloth napkins to birdhouses surround me! One of my sons refers to our home as the “Museum.”

I have reached the age where I need to pass on my treasures, but I can’t quite let them go. I hear Jesus saying, “Watch out!” Now I need to put it into practice. Our stewardship emphasis is calling me to serve more, love more, and give more; then I can find contentment and joy! And with that joy comes peace.

Dear God,

Help me to spend my time doing Your will. Help me to spend less on things and more on Your needs. I am Your hands in the world. Amen.

Written by Cindy Swanson