God’s Perspective About Money, Part 2

And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:16-21

In her book Discipline, the Glad Surrender Elisabeth Elliot reveals four meaningful lessons to be learned from the discipline of our possessions:

“The first lesson is that all things are given by God...Because God gives us things indirectly by enabling us to make them with our own hands (out of things He has made, of course) or to earn the money to buy them...we are prone to forget that He gave them to us.

...We should be thankful. Thanksgiving requires the recognition of the Source. It implies contentment with what is given, not complain...It excludes covetousness.

...The third lesson is that things can be material for sacrifice. ...The father pours out His blessings on us; we, His creatures, receive them with open hands, give thanks, and lift them up as an offering back to Him...
                   
...This lesson leads naturally to the fourth which is that things are given to us to enjoy for awhile...What is not at all fitting or proper is that we should set our hearts on them. Temporal things must be treated as temporal things - received, given thanks for, offered back but enjoyed.”

“...For all things come from You, and from Your hand we have given You.” 1 Chronicles 29:14