Sunday Inspiration from Pray the Gospels

Luke 12:15

And he said to them, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions."

Prayer

Gracious Lord, this verse ought to be emblazoned on the foreheads of all who live Orange County, including me: "One's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." Oh, how we try to prove You wrong about this. We strive and strive and strive. We work and work and work. We buy and buy and buy. We measure our worth by how much we have: the latest style, or gadget, or fixture. Yet, no sooner have we made our most recent purchase than we start yearning for the next one.

O Lord, deliver us! Save us from the love of things. Set us free to live for what really matters. Teach us to be generous with what You have given us, to sacrifice freely and gladly for the sake of others.

Postscript

One of the most striking bumper stickers I have seen read: The One Who Dies with the Most Toys Wins. Ironically, this was on the back of a fairly humble car. It's hard to imagine a more pervasive and powerful lie than this, yet it holds sway over so many hearts and minds. I prefer the amended version of the sticker. Perhaps you've seen it: The One Who Dies with the Most Toys . . . Still Dies.

Just for fun, you might also enjoy the different "versions" of the "He who dies with the most toys wins" saying, including: The Agnostic: "It is not possible to know whether toys make a bit of difference." The Calvinist: "He who dies with the most toys was eternally predestined to win." I prefer the one from Highland Woodworking: "He who dies with the most tools wins."

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Pray the Gospels

Pray the Gospels is one of my devotional websites. Each day I put up a portion of a gospel, a prayer based on that text, and some additional input, like a brief commentary or a quotation. I use material from Pray the Gospels on markdroberts.com for Sunday inspiration.