Owning It for the Wrong Reason
“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 (KJV)
Picture a man who buys a mountain lodge to host Christian retreats. Good things happen there. Men come back to the Lord. But years later, honest with himself, he sees that part of the rush to buy was how good it felt to say he owned it.
Mixed motives are normal. Most of what we buy carries a little pride along with the practical reasons. The danger is when the pride starts making the decisions.
Jesus warned about it directly: “Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” Your life isn’t measured in what you own, even good things used for good purposes.
Sometimes the freest thing a person can do is let something go, even at a loss, and find that the room it gives them in their mind and their days is worth more than the thing ever was. Ask God what you are holding for the wrong reason.
Read it yourself
Read Luke 12:13–21. What did the rich man in the parable plan to say to his soul?
Is there something you own mostly because of what it says about you?
Lord, my life is not in what I possess. Show me where pride is holding on, and help me hold everything loosely. Amen.