Luke 12:13

Luke 12:13 says, And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.  Someone came to Jesus asking Him to have his brother divide an inheritance with him.  He was looking to Jesus for material, earthly reasons.  Some people are still doing the same thing today.  Verse fourteen adds, And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?  Jesus asked the man who made Him a judge and divider over these things.  Jesus is the judge of spiritual matters, and we shouldn't expect Him to make everything fair materially in our eyes.  Verse fifteen continues, And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.  Jesus then warned them and us against covetousness.  He warned us that life does not consist of the abundance of things that we own.  We may see having an abundance of riches as a sign that we are living under God's leadership, but Jesus tells us this isn't necessarily so.  Verse sixteen states, And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:  Jesus then began to teach them with a parable about a rich man with an abundant harvest. This could indeed be a blessing from God, but if it was, then the question is what would the man do with it.  If God richly blesses us today, that is the same question we must ask.  Verse seventeen adds, And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?  The man faced a dilemma, and we may face a similar one at times today.  The man had no room to store his crops.  Sometimes, God may bless us so abundantly that we have much more than we need or know what to do with.  Verse eighteen continues, And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.  The man decided the answer was to tear down his existing barns and build bigger ones.  We sometimes want something bigger and better for ourselves when God abundantly blesses us instead of asking God how we should us what He has blessed us with.  Verse nineteen concludes, And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.  The man decided to use his abundance for His own pleasure.  As followers of Christ, I believe that we need to be careful that we don't begin to believe that everything God blesses us with should be used simply for our own ease and pleasure.   Verse twenty declares, But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?  Jesus referred to the man as a fool, I believe because he had not acknowledged God in all his planning, and then Jesus told the man that he was going to die that night, and then asked him who would own all these things. We need to be concerned with spiritual and not material riches, because one day all the material riches will be left behind.  Verse twenty-one adds, So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.  Jesus said that if anyone is like this man, laying up material treasure for himself or herself, instead of being rich before God, then we like this man are a fool.  Verse twenty-two continues,  And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.  Jesus told His disciples, and as followers of Christ that would be us today, that they should not give any thought to the things of this world.  That is a far cry from God wants me to be happy and in order for that to happen I must have what I have decided I want.  Verse twenty-three concludes, The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.  Jesus said that life is more than the physical things.  Life really is about our spiritual relationship with God and not the material things of this world.