Worldly Possessions

If someone asked us to sell everything we had and give them to the poor, would we be willing? Are the things we think we can’t live without really worth living for? We easily get upset when something in the house breaks like the dishwasher or the Internet is down. When we run out of our favorite snack or beverage, we quickly run to the store to replace it so we aren’t doing without. However, are the things we feel we need all the time really the things God wants us to have?

Would we still feel blessed if we lost our job and had to cut back on many of the things we take for granted. If we had to downsize to a smaller home, get rid of our extras and just live on the necessities? Would we be able to make it?

Mark 10:21-22 “Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. ‘There is still one thing you haven’t done,’ he told him. ‘Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.”

We really have so much more than we need. We can talk about those who make millions of dollars and say they really do make too much money, but what about the things we have. We could really live on a lot less than what we are living on. We need to stop worrying about what others have and think about what we have that we can use for the good of helping others.

It is time we simplified our own lives. The more we have, the more we have to keep up with. The more we have to keep up with, the less time we have to spend with God. There are only 24 hours in a day. We need sleep. Most of us have work or school. We need relaxation time, recreation time, family time, and especially God time. We don’t really have time for all the things we have. God tells us we can’t serve two masters.

Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

It would be so easy to get wrapped up in our possessions and taking care of them that we forget to take time for God. We spend Sunday out on our boats rather than worshipping. We spend Saturday washing our cars and taking care of our homes rather than reaching out to others. We spend all week making money for the things we can’t afford. We need to really look at our lives and determine if we are living a life of service that God wants us to live.

Luke 16:25 “But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish.”

Our possessions are things we earned or we are still paying for because we wanted them. When we leave this earth, none of these things will go with us. Our rewards in heaven will be earned by the things we do on earth not by the things we have on earth. It’s time we looked at what we have done rather than what we have. It’s time for us to make a change to make a difference.

Luke 16:9 “Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.”