Today's Passage - Luke 12:12-21

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Luke 12:12-21   ...Someone in the crowd said to him, 'Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.'     Jesus replied, 'Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?' Then he said to them, 'Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.' And he told them this parable: 'The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 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 all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, 'You have plenty of good things laid up for many 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 anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.'"   "A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." This word from the Lord seems to contradict against the trend in today's society. Don't people today just want to be abundant in possession? The Lord rebuked this rich man as a fool because:   First, he mistakenly thought that material abundance can bring satisfaction to his heart, but can material living really give people satisfaction? If so, people living in the U.S. should be a lot happier and more satisfied than those living in the Third World. The reality is that psychiatrists are ever more popular in the U.S., and it seems like more money actually causes more depression. That's why the renowned British writer Bernard Shaw has once said: "There are two tragedies in life; first is not able to get what you want, and the second is to get what you want." In this world, there is really nothing that can satisfy our heart, except God.   Also, this rich man doesn't understand how short life is. When we share our faith with others, many would say that they will believe when they are in their old age; however, who among us can guarantee that we will live till we're old? Who knows how many years God has given us? One day, not only will our life end, the world will also end. One day, we will all stand in front God's altar of judgment of righteousness. If it wasn't for the precious blood of Jesus that gave us repentance and salvation, how can we face the judgment of God? May God help us, turn our eyes on God and let Him become our strength, satisfaction and joy.     Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, I thank you because you are the Lord will judge us and also the Lord who saves us. You are also the Lord who guides us in our daily life. May your Spirit remind us again, to see how temporary and vain the world is, so that our heart will be turned back to you, and to receive true satisfaction in you. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!