"I need bigger and bigger, and I certainly need better," so our neighbor said, and ended up achieving just that. She is quite the person. She is nice, a bit unfriendly, in lots of ways, but pleasant and respectful. That's so good.
She pulled half of it down. the carport and the verandahs, the back patio, and then fenced it off with just a metre to its back fence and built this huge house in its back yard. It took at least a good two years to finish, and was she happy with that? Ummmm No!
She kept looking around and ended up buying yet another place, a good two-hour drive north of where we live, and once again needing lots of renovations. Is she going to be happy now at last? Ummmm No!
Always wanting more and more. Seeking happiness in things - Changing employment and always on the lookout for better and bigger, which is fine I guess but I am reminded of a parable that Jesus told in the Bible in Luke 12: 16-21.
It goes like this:- "The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself. 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops." '
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. And I'll say to myself, You have plenty of grain laid up for years. Take life easy, eat, drink, and be merry."
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?
This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God."
Sort of a squirmy sort of feel after you read this parable of Jesus - what was Jesus getting at?
We need to be very careful about what we put first in our lives. Our dear neighbour is on the lookout, unfortunately. She is looking for something and feels that buying and achieving is the way to go.
Achieving lots of things can seemingly satisfy a longing in your heart; well, that's what she feels anyway, even for the short term. She is then keen to keep building bigger and bigger, and to seek more and more.
When we give our lives to the Lord and ask him to lead us, amazingly, our very need to keep expanding and to keep searching is quickly fulfilled.
We then begin to put things in their correct order and make Jesus our Lord and King first in our lives, and, extraordinarily, everything else just falls into place, and our need to expand our personal kingdom is amazingly met.
Also unfortunately. Like our lovely neighbour, so many people are actually looking for something, hence the constant forging ahead and striving for bigger and better. What are they striving for? They are searching and striding ahead, looking for happiness and fulfillment.
The very act of giving our lives over to God and making him the first priority in everything we have and do has quite an effect on our lives. The striding ahead, where it is often necessary, stops taking first place in our lives. It's quite extraordinary!
Also, in the parable, Jesus wants to get through to us that the blessings we receive as followers of Jesus should be shared with others, not just kept for ourselves.
Jesus didn't keep anything for himself; he wasn't like that at all. He came to earth to share himself with all of us so that we can learn and give our lives to him. He certainly didn't spend everything he had on himself; he gave it all away and enriched so many people in every possible way.
When we give our lives to God and make Him first place, he doesn't bless us so that we can spend all of our excesses, whatever those excesses may be, just on ourselves. In the Bible, in 2 Corinthians chapter 9 and verse 11, Paul says, "You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God."
The blessings God gives us shouldn't come to a full stop with us, but instead should actually be generated through us to others, showing love, concern, and constant help and giving. Something we should be asking God to help us in all sorts of situations. This is really clear in the verse above.
In the story above that Jesus told, the rich guy kept everything for himself and was obviously constantly on the lookout for more and more. At the end of his life, what did he achieve? He'd have no say whatever in how his riches were going to end up - sad really! He could have had the joy of seeing others blessed, but it all amounted to nothing for him.
Life with Jesus at the helm is so much more than all of our wealth and possessions. So many people are sadly trying to get as much as possible, looking and searching for happiness, security, and fulfillment in things. Always on the lookout for something else, and never really satisfied with what they have, maybe for a short time, but always ending up wanting something new and beautiful, just like our lovely neighbour.
If you read the bible in Luke 12:13-15, you will read "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions." Pretty full on to what we have just been thinking about.
I think we should all take a moment to think about where we are with God; let's not get ourselves in a state of having to achieve more and more just to fill our anxiety or our need for fulfillment and achievement. Putting God first fills that void where we ourselves want to and need to achieve in all ongoing situations.
So, watch out and be on your guard, as it says in the Bible, putting God in first place, and do you know! Everything else just automatically falls into place. God is amazing and so truthful.
God bless you this week, and I hope to see you next time.
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