October 26 (Daily reading: Luke 12-13, NIV) In Luke 12, Jesus gave us some “gems” about stewardship. He was asked to settle a financial dispute between brothers. His first gem: “Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions” (v. 14). He told a story to illustrate this. A rich man’s goal in life was increasing his wealth, but his life was cut short. Jesus’s second gem: “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God” (v. 21). Jesus talked about worry because materialism can create anxiety. He concluded with a third gem: “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?” (v. 25). Think on what Jesus said: life is more than what you possess! There is wealth in this world, but then there is “richness toward God!” You can worry about finances but worrying will not add anything of worth to your life!
A young man, before starting a business, asked his pastor to witness his covenant with God to be a tither. Years later, he asked the pastor: “Is there any way I can break the covenant? It was easy at first to pay the tithe, but my business is prospering, and I can no longer afford to pay a tithe!” The pastor replied: “I am not an authority on breaking a covenant with God, but I can pray that your income will decrease so that it will again be easy to pay the tithe!” The man went away ashamed, but much wiser.
When Noah left the ark with his family, there was nothing he could call his, except his life and his family. And of course, his relationship with God. Before the flood, “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” (Gen. 6:8, NKJV). He had none of this world’s possessions, but he had an unlimited supply of God’s grace!
– Al Gary
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