Monday, July 7, 2014

Gwen Hitt

What Are You Doing With Your Abundance? 

Luke 12:15  One's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.

I recently read a devotion that focused on the importance of reaching out to the hurting in our abundance. In this devotion, it was stated that six of the seven richest men in America from the early 1900s faced tragic endings --- one died a pauper, three committed suicide, and two went to prison. 

As I reflected on this, I began to wonder about the seventh WEALTHY man. Since he was not mentioned, I could only assume that his life did not end in tragedy. BUT why was his life so different from the others???

Because the devotion did not provide the name of this individual, I was unable to conduct research to learn of his fate ... to determine his secret to avoid personal disaster. Although I cannot substantiate this man's fate, I can speculate on why he was not mentioned.

Today's scripture provides a caution that we should all heed in order to live our lives in the manner that God desires. We are told that our life DOES NOT consist in the abundance of the THINGS we possess. Instead of associating our net worth on our bank accounts, we should base it on our generosity ... on how we are sharing the THINGS that we have accumulated with the less fortunate.

My challenge to you today is to bless someone with the abundance that God has blessed you with. It could be sharing of your money, your time, your wisdom, your _________ (you fill in the blank). By doing so, you will prove yourself to be the wise steward of the THINGS that God has bestowed upon you. The end result will be a lifestyle that will be evident of the donation of your time, your money, your heart to those who are in need.

Dear Lord, I believe that the reason why the seventh individual's fate was omitted was because he did not base his life on his abundance. Rather, he used his good fortune to touch the lives of Your children. Help me to always know that the THINGS that I have accumulated are only temporal ... BUT that reaching out to the less fortunate has eternal ramifications for me as well as for them.

I thank You, my Jesus, for dying for me. I believe that You are Lord and that God raised You from the grave so that I can have eternal life.

Reflection: Are you impacting the lives of the less fortunate with your THINGS ...  your Abundance??