I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. John 15:5

We live with excess of clothing, houses, home decor, vehicles, food and more. Purchased clothes hang, often unworn, in our closets. We live in houses with excess square footage to hold our excess home decor and we own more expensive vehicles than necessary. Society overeats while watching others in the world go hungry. How much is too much? 

Jesus speaks to us of abundance in Luke chapter twelve. He warns to beware of covetousness, because our life does not consist of the abundance of the things we possess. What’s more, he teaches a parable to address this issue.

Jesus says,

…. the ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: Luke 12:16.

This rich man wondered what he should do with his excess fruits. Henceforth, he tore down his barns and built greater barns to hold all his goods. His soul was at ease because he had much goods laid up for many years. He ate, drank, and was merry. No worries, so he thought.

God said unto him,

Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. Luke 12: 20 and 21.

These words, spoken by Jesus, remind us that we accumulate too much of this worlds goods. This is foolish because when our souls are required at death, who will possess our things? Not us, for we cannot take our material possessions with us. Furthermore, materialism often hinders us from being rich toward God.

One cannot have too much of Jesus. Indeed, we are to abide in Him so that we bear much fruit during our time on earth. The rich man could have filled his barns and given the rest of his blessed crops to the poor, thus bearing fruit of God’s goodness and provision. Certainly, hoarding our material blessings is a foolish thing to do.

Ladies, I am guilty of excess, are you? 

WORDS OF TRUTH

And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness; for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. Luke 12:15

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Matthew 6:19-21

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. John 15:5