A Love of Life, or A Life of Love
Rev. Chuck E. Sprayberry
Luke 12:13-25 (NKJV) 13 Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” 15 And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” 16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ‘ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ 21 So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” 22 Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. 23 Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.
24 Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? 25 And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
We can make four observations from the parable of this rich man:
- Man can never be satisfied with possessions – he will always seek after more or better riches in order to add to that which he already possesses.
- Success often “dooms” men to needless worry and anxiety – the more a man has, the more he worries about keeping it and protecting it.
- Success may result in an unreachable desire for peace and rest. – They hope one day to be at peace and rest as a result of the riches they have accumulated. However, you cannot buy peace and rest with worldly possessions.
- Death, when it arrives, cuts the soul off from all worldly possessions immediately and irreversibly.
By all the criteria of his time and ours, this man would have been considered successful. However, he did not recognize there was a more pressing spiritual need in his life.
He loved life and the things of this world, which are at best temporary, more than anything else.
Jesus comments in Matthew on how difficult it will be for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven because of their love for this life and the comforts and possessions they can acquire in their lifetime.
We are specifically warned against allowing the love of the world to become the most important thing in our life.
1 John 2:15-17 – “Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (The love of the Father is not the driving principle of his life – Author’s note) For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.”
If the love of the world is the driving principle in your life, then the love of the Father cannot manifest itself in your life as fully as he would like.
What will having a life of love bring about in your life?
- Sorrow over sin in our life
- Compassion for lost souls
- A desire to help those in need
Jesus commands us not to have a love of life, but a life of love.
Matthew 22:30-40 – “Love, the greatest commandment.”
Jesus then showed what it means to live a life of love.
John 19:17.18 – “they crucified him” – the greatest act of love.
Jesus showed us that he loved us more than life itself when he willingly went to the cross to pay the price for our sins. As God, he could have lived a life as comfortable as any king that ever walked the earth. However, he chose to live a hard and difficult life ending the most cruel death man has ever devised. He did this so we would have the opportunity to clearly see exactly how much he loves us.
If you honestly asked yourself today, “Do I have a love of life or a life of love?” what would your answer be?
October 21, 2012 · 1:36 am
