DAY 1 – OCTOBER 24

TITLE: “GUARD AGAINST GREED”

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READING: Luke 12:13-21

DAILY SCRIPTURE READING: Luke 12:13-15

KEY VERSE: “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.’” Luke 12:15

Jesus gives a warning. It is the call to be on guard against all kinds of greed. Fred Catherwood grasped the heart of this parable when he said, “Greed is the logical result of the belief that there is no life after death. We grab what we can while we can, however we can, and then hold on to it hard.”

Covetousness is a kind of greed that God addressed for His people in the Ten Commandments. The scripture says, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” Exodus 20:17. Preacher and author, Haddon Robinson said, “Covetousness is one of those overstuffed religious words that has lost its cutting edge; we don't take covetousness very seriously.” Jesus warns us to take all kinds of greed seriously and to guard against it.

In November 1991, a magazine called Bits and Pieces reported that Leo Tolstoy once wrote a story about a successful peasant farmer who was not satisfied with his lot. He wanted more of everything. One day, he received a novel offer. For 1000 rubles, he could buy all the land he could walk around in a day. The only catch in the deal was that he had to be back at his starting point by sundown. Early the next morning, he started out walking at a fast pace. By midday, he was very tired, but he kept going, covering more and more ground. Well into the afternoon, he realized that his greed had taken him far from the starting point. He quickened his pace and as the sun began to sink low in the sky, he began to run, knowing that if he did not make it back by sundown, the opportunity to become an even bigger landholder would be lost. As the sun began to sink below the horizon, he came within sight of the finish line. Gasping for breath, his heart pounding, he called upon every bit of strength left in his body and staggered across the line just before the sun disappeared. He immediately collapsed, blood streaming from his mouth. In a few minutes, he was dead. Afterwards, his servants dug a grave. It was not much over six feet long and three feet wide. The title of Tolstoy's story was: “How Much Land Does a Man Need?”

The giant of greed is too important and serious to ignore in our lives. We must purposely make it a priority to guard against all kinds of greed. Never let your guard down. As Jesus said, “Watch out!” Guard against greed.

DAY 2 – OCTOBER 25

TITLE: “POSSESSIONS”

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READING: Luke 12:13- 21

DAILY SCRIPTURE READING: Luke 12: 15

KEY VERSE: “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.’” Luke 12:15

Martin Luther, the founder of the Lutheran Church, said, “I have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess.” John Wesley was the founder of the Methodist Church. History records that the house of John Wesley was destroyed by fire. And, when Wesley learned that his house had been destroyed by fire, he exclaimed, "The Lord's house burned. One less responsibility for me!"

Pastor Myles Munroe, in his book, Applying the Kingdom, said, “He who gets his personal worth from the things he possesses must be sure to never lose his possessions.” Jesus said, “A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Luke 12:15. Jesus was concerned about our relationship to our possessions. It has been noted that over half of the 26 major parables deal with the issue of possessions in some way.

In this story of the rich fool, Jesus pointed out the danger of allowing our possessions to possess us. The reality is that things can easily become too important in our lives. Jesus said, “But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.” Luke 12:31.

Marjorie Holmes had this to say about possesses. She said, “Sometimes I'm ashamed of how much I want mere possessions -- things for my husband and the house and the children. Yes, and things for myself, too. And this hunger is enhanced every time I turn on the television or walk through a shopping mall. Lord, cool these fires of wanting. Help me to realize how futile is this passion for possessions. Because -- and this is what strips my values to the bone -- one of my best friends died today in the very midst of her possessions. She was in the beautiful home she and her husband worked so hard to achieve, the home that was finally furnished the way she wanted it, with the best of everything. She was surrounded by the Oriental rugs she was so proud of, the formal French sofas, the painting, the china and glass, the handsome silver service...She had been snatched away while silently, almost cruelly, they remain. Lord, I grieve for my friend. My heart hurts that she had so little time to enjoy the things that she had earned and that meant so much to her. But, let me learn something from this loss; that possessions are meant to enhance life, not to become the main focus of living. Help me remember that we come into the world with nothing and we leave with nothing. Don't let me put too much stock in mere possessions.”

Will you take a few moments to reflect on the principle Jesus gave us when He said, “A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Hold possessions lightly.

DAY 3 – OCTOBER 26

TITLE: “WHAT SHALL I DO?”

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READING: Luke 12:13-21

DAILY SCRIPTURE READING: Luke 12:16-19

KEY VERSE: “He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’” Luke 12:17

Can you think of a recent, “What shall I do?” moment? A time when you tried to decide what you should do next or how you should respond to a situation. Life is filled with “What shall I do?” moments, for we are people with a free will. We continually face situations and circumstances of life that call for a response or decision. I heard about a sign on a businessman’s desk that said, “MY DECISION IS MAYBE…AND THAT’S FINAL!” How do you decide what you should do?

The decisions we make matter. It has been said that there are two sides to every question. It has also been said that there are two sides to a sheet of flypaper. The reality is that it makes a big difference to the fly which side he chooses.

The wealthy man Jesus tells about found himself at a time of decision. Having no place to store his crops, he decided to tear down his barns and build a bigger one so he could store all of his grain and goods. By doing so, he thought he was set, and he said to himself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” Luke 12:19.

Life is filled with decisions. This man made his choice based on a perspective of self. He did not realize that there was more to life than preparing for his own life. Helen Keller said, “Life is an exciting business and most exciting when lived for others.” Here was a man that seemed to be living for self. He had no thought of using it for others or God. He did not regard the things he possessed as belonging to God but rather to himself. It was all his and all to be used for him so he could be merry and take life easy. It all belonged to him and he was going to use it for his own pleasure and enjoyment. Consequently, he answered the question, “What shall I do?” by doing what pleased him.

How do you decide what you should do? As you determine how you respond to the “What shall I do?” question, ask God to help you to respond from His perspective. Pray and listen to the Word of God. When you have decided that you are going to follow the Lord and seek to please Him, He will guide you in all the decisions you make.

“I have decided to follow Jesus; I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus; No turning back, no turning back.

Though none go with me, still I will follow; Though none go with me, still I will follow; Though none go with me, still I will follow; No turning back, no turning back.”

DAY 4 – OCTOBER 27

TITLE: “PREPARED”

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READING: Luke 12:13-21

DAILY SCRIPTURE READING: Luke 12:20

KEY VERSE: “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?” Luke 12:20

As I write this, I am sitting at my desk in a suit and tie. I have just finished doing a funeral for someone who died unexpectedly. And, I am freshly reminded of the shortness of time. None of us are guaranteed another day. James reminds us of this reality. He said, “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” James 4:14

The Psalmist said, “The length of our days is seventy years-or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away…Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:10&12. The older I get, the more aware I am of the shortness of life. We do not know when our last breath will be. Therefore, we should live as one prepared.

Recently, I read about a person who went out to get in his car to go to church when he noticed he had a flat tire. He pulled out his spare tire, changed the tire quickly, and went on to church. He intended to have the tire fixed but had decided to put it off until later in the week. A few days later, he went out to his car to drive to school, only to discover he had another flat tire. However, this time he had no spare. It caused a lot of difficulty and took considerable more time to fix it because he was not prepared. He wrote this advice, “When something breaks, fix it now. Don't wait until you need it and then don't have it!” This man was a fool because he thought he was in control of the future. This man was a fool, for he had not prepared well.

There's an old legend about a man who had a rather stupid servant. The master often got exasperated with his servant and, one day, in a fit of frustration, he said to the servant, "You've got to be the stupidest man I've ever met. Look, I want you to take this staff and carry it with you. And, if you ever meet a man stupider than you are, give him the staff." So the servant carried the staff, and often out in the marketplace, he'd meet some pretty stupid people. But, he was never sure they were worse off than he. Years passed, with the servant carrying his staff, and then one day, he came back to the castle and was ushered into the bedroom of his master. His master was quite sick.

In the course of their conversation, the master said, "I'm going on a long journey." The servant said, "When do you plan to be back?" The master said, "This is a journey from which I'll not return." The servant said, "Sir, have you made all the necessary preparations?" The master said, "No, I have not." The servant said, "Could you have made preparations?" The master said, "Yes, I guess I've had all my life to make them, but I've been busy about other things." The servant said, "Master, you're going on a journey from which you'll never return; you could have prepared for it, and you just didn't?" The master said, "Yes, I guess that's right." The servant took the staff he'd carried so long and said, "Master, take this with you. At last I've met a man more stupid than myself."

DAY 5 – OCTOBER 28

TITLE: “RICH TOWARDS GOD”

WEEKLY SCRIPTURE READING: Luke 12:13-21

DAILY SCRIPTURE READING: Luke 12:21

KEY VERSE: “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:21

Haddon Robinson recalls a story in literature of a man who opens a newspaper and discovers the date on the newspaper is six months in advance of the time he lives. As he begins to read through the newspaper, he discovers stories about events that have not yet taken place. He turns to the sports page and sees the scores of games not yet played. He turns to the financial page and discovers a report of the rise or fall of different stocks and bonds. He realizes this can make him a wealthy man. A few large bets on an underdog team he knows will win will make him wealthy. Investments in stocks that are now low but will get high can fatten his portfolio. He is delighted. He turns the page and comes to the obituary column and sees his picture and story. Everything changes. The knowledge of his death changes his view about his wealth.

The riches of the world are temporary. The riches of God have eternal value. What a tragedy it is to spend your whole life chasing the riches of the world and live in poverty spiritually. Moses understood the importance of being rich of God. Hebrews 11:26 says, “He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.” Nothing is more important than our relationship with God. True riches are found in our relationship with Him as His children.

My Father is rich in houses and lands;

He holdeth the wealth of the world in His hands!
Of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold;

His coffers are full, He has riches untold.

I’m a child of the King, A child of the King:
With Jesus my Savior, I’m a child of the King.

My Father’s own Son, the Savior of men;

Once wandered on earth as the poorest of them;
But now He is pleading our pardon on high,

That we may be His when He comes by and by.

I once was an outcast stranger on earth, A sinner by choice, an alien by birth,
But I’ve been adopted, my name’s written down, An heir to a mansion, a robe and a crown.

A tent or a cottage, why should I care? They’re building a palace for me over there; Though exiled from home, yet still may I sing: All glory to God, I’m a child of the King. (John B. Sumner)