Luke 12:13-34

Luke 12:13-34 (New International Version)
The Parable of the Rich Fool 13Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to
divide the inheritance with me."
14Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" 15Then 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." 16And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ 18"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. 19And I‘ll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." ’ 20"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?’ 21"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."Do Not Worry 22Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not
worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you
will wear. 23Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.
24Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom
or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than
birds! 25Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
26Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about
the rest?
27"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. 32"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.Devotional
Have you ever noticed how hard it is to stop worrying? It seems to me
that I am bombarded with things to worry about. Money. Jobs.
Relationships. And every time I read the news or turn on the
television I have people pointing out everything else that I should be
worrying about. In this passage we are presented with two options.
Jesus tells a story about someone who worried about himself…to the
point where all he cared about was himself. When worry consumes me, I
begin to think only of myself. Then Jesus tells his followers to seek
the kingdom of God and trust that God will provide. It‘s easy to think
that seeking God‘s kingdom is simply giving money to a good cause but
it seems to imply that seeking God‘s kingdom will open my awareness to
the needs of others and if I put my energy in that direction God will
provide what I need.
Prayer
God as I seek Your kingdom, help me not to become distracted with
worry but to be sustained by you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.