The Living Word: A Daily Devotional with Jeff & Dale from The Jenkins Institute
The Living Word is a daily devotional featuring Scripture and encouragement from Jeff and Dale of The Jenkins Institute. Each episode offers a thoughtful reading to coincide with the daily devotional guides from our annual devotional books. They are designed to help listeners begin or end their day grounded in God’s Word.
The Living Word: A Daily Devotional with Jeff & Dale from The Jenkins Institute
Week 29: Tuesday, Plentiful Production: What to Do?
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We love productive people! Those who get things done and make things
happen are admired in our culture. There is something to be said for
those who can marry opportunities and abilities to create something of
value. Jesus once told a parable about a productive man.
Welcome to Hearing God's Stories, a daily devotional on the parables presented by the Jickens Institute.
SPEAKER_01This is week 29, Tuesday, the parable of the rich fool. Plentiful production. What to do? Our text comes from Luke chapter 12, verses 16 through 21. Our author is Steve Lusk, and I'm Jeff Johnson. We love productive people. Those who get things done and make things happen are admired in our culture. There's something to be said for those who can marry opportunities and abilities to create something of value. Jesus once told a parable about a productive man, and he told them a parable saying, The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, What shall I do? For I have nowhere to store my crops. And he said, I will do this. I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. Luke chapter 12, verses 16 through 18 from the English Standard Version. It's a valid question. What should be done with abundance? It seems wasteful not to ask. What should a follower of Jesus do when we have more than enough? What are the options? One option is what the plentiful producer in this story chose. Build bigger barns. Doesn't wisdom demand that we plan for the future? Here's a spoiler alert. That's not the option this parable suggests. While there's nothing inherently wrong with storing up produce for the days ahead, we'll reference the story of Joseph in Egypt from Genesis 37 through 50. There may be other options to consider. Remember that Jesus told this parable to remind us of the dangers of greed and selfish desire for more. Greed says, keep it. Generosity says, share with others. This rich man could have provided for others in his community who were in need, but he was too selfish to consider that option. Many of us fall into the category of plentiful producers. We have more than enough. The temptation is to fear the future and justify storing up treasure for oneself. Greed ultimately comes from a desire to trust in our own abilities rather than trusting in God to provide. Today I will evaluate my possessions, considering the needs of others, and determined to be more generous with my abundance.
SPEAKER_00Thank you for joining us for the Living Word. For more encouragement and ministry resources, visit Virginia Institute.com. And may God's richest blessings be yours, is our prayer for you.