When Jesus encountered brothers arguing over their family inheritance, He used the opportunity to address a struggle common to us all (Luke 12:1-21). We live in a material world. Therefore it seems only right that our physical needs are our primary concerns. However, our relationship with material things can be a curse if we approach our relationship with this physical world as if we are mere animals rather than people originally created in God’s image. By living as “animals,” we violate the primary meaning of our existence—to love God with everything we have and to love others as ourselves. If we derive the meaning of life from fulfilling animal instincts we are truly lost. Instead, by living as if we are made in God’s image, we are to use the various aspects of our physical reality as tools to express our love for God and one another. Jesus gives strong warning to those of us who seek to “lay up treasure” for ourselves yet are not rich toward God. When we derive our primary treasure, our source of value, from what we eat and drink, where we sleep, and what we wear, we become our own worst enemies. We are unable to find our primary value by intimately loving that which transcends the physical. Our inner being will never be satisfied with the pride that comes from external things, the lust of the flesh, the lust of our eyes, and the praise of others. When it comes to our spiritual needs, we are unique in all of creation. We are neither animals nor angels. We were created by God to be both physical and spiritual. We are to enjoy the benefits of the physical world but to do so rooted in a spiritual life, intimately united with God. First and foremost, our lives were meant to be abundant in God’s spiritual dimension of reality. It is only when we are united to God, in the Spirit, that the material plane of our lives has its rightful purpose. Only then can we completely enjoy the full breadth and depth of the physical world God has given us. All the things we encounter in the physical realm—art, science, physical pleasure, our environment—find entirely new meaning when we experience them as expressions of love for God and others. Only when we, by faith in Christ, become identified with our Heavenly Father, can we keep our relationship with the material world in its rightful place. Material blessings can never replace what God alone brings to our lives. Making Him and His Kingdom our primary treasure becomes the surest way to enjoy His material blessings without turning them into idols. This focus positions us to enjoy life as God intended. Key Verse: “And He said to them, ‘Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses. ’” –Luke 12:15 Author: Pastor Bob Caldwell
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 16:48:21 +0000
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