A neighbor called Keith Wishum to inform him that smoke was coming from his garage.  Thankfully, when Keith checked his garage, the “smoke” was actually steam rising as the heat of the morning sun hit the frosted roof.

The incident did cause Keith to do some thinking.  “The call did ignite some mixed feelings, though. The garage is dilapidated and needs to be replaced, and most of the contents need to be thrown away.  Burning it down might not be so bad.  On the other hand, I didn’t want to part with my accumulated junk and memorabilia.”

But Keith isn’t the only one that has accumulated a lot of stuff.  He even informs us about how much stuff we in America have accumulated:

“Apparently, I’m by no means the only one clinging to extra possessions.  About the time my garage didn’t burn down, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution published a report stating that from 1960 to 2000, 32,000 self-storage facilities were built in the U.S., with those facilities maintaining a 90% occupancy rate.  During that same period, the median house size increased from 1,500 to 2,100 square feet while the number of occupants declined.  With all that extra space we still face a constant battle against clutter.  It seems that we Americans have more stuff than we know what to do with, but we don’t want to part with any of it.”

Keith appropriately recalls the words of Jesus:  "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15).  Keith asks, “Do we buy that? Or do we just buy a new storage building for the stuff we purchase?”

To drive His point home, Jesus told a story about a farmer who had a bumper crop (see Luke 12:16-21).  What did he do with the abundance?  Did he share it with others?  Did he use it to try to help others in need?  No, he built bigger barns in which to store it.

Jesus ends the story with these words:  “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).  Jesus adds: “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:21).

Being rich toward God is realizing that God is the Giver of all good things (James 1:17) and that we are to use the blessings He gives us to His glory by sharing them with others.  Being rich toward God is recognizing that there is more to life than stuff!  Being rich toward God is understanding that the spiritual blessings that we have in Christ are eternally greater than any temporal thing that this world has to offer.

As Keith astutely observes: “The Biblical perspective is that the garage is burning [see 2 Peter 3:10].  This world and all its contents will soon be gone.  How we feel about the garage depends on how attached we are to the contents.” *

God sent His Son Jesus into the world to go to the cross to die for our sins so that we might have the greater, eternal blessings of salvation from sin and eternal life (John 3:16; Romans 6:23).

It is the will of God that YOU accept His offer of salvation and life by placing your faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from sin in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and be baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).  Then, follow Him all the way to heaven!

“And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” – 1 John 2:17

Won’t YOU do the will of God by accepting His offer on His terms?

– David A. Sargent

* Keith Wishum, “The Garage is On Fire!” in A Word from Williams Road.  Keith serves as the Minister of the Williams Road Church of Christ in Americus, GA

David A. Sargent, Minister