TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING
Luke 12: 13-21
Introduction
There are many things in life that good to have.It is to have enough money to
provide for ourselves and our families.It is good to have a comfortable home to provide safety and well-being.It is good to have a job which is suitable for our skills and provides enough to care for us and our families.It iis good to have presentable clothing to make a good impression on others.All of these are good and necessary for us to have a comfortable and satisfying life.But when do these things and others become too much of a good thing?
I Too Much of A Good Thing Can Result in Selfishness
The man in the story looked for a place where he could build even bigger barns to store his possessions. We can become selfish about the abundance of things we have. Never once did he think about sharing what he had with others who had less. The fact that he had too many possessions kept him from thinking about sharing what he had.
II Too Much of a God Thing Can Rob Us of Spiritual Things
But this attitude of too much of a good thing can creep into our spiritual lives.Too many things of a material nature can cloud our need for a spiritual relationship with God. Even too many things of a spiritual nature can keep us from sharing what we have with others. There is even a tendency to hoard our spiritual blessings and fail to share them with others.
The monks and clerics of old hid themselves in monasteries and failed to share their holiness with others. God wants us to share our spiritual resources with others to help them grow in the faith.There is the possibility of becoming too holy and righteous that we have too much of a good thing. Our spiritual lives should be shared with others less our spirituality itself becomes too much of a good thing.I had a sergeant in the army whose favorite expression was, “I got mine! You got yours to get!” Part of our mission is to share with others what we have in Christ. Share with others what a spiritual life with Christ looks like. However, there is a danger of hoarding what we have by keeping it to ourselves.There was a show on TV called Hoarders, featuring people who kept so many things that their houses become overflowing with junk and items they will never use. Even our spiritual lives can become too much of a good thing unless we share it with others.
III Too Much of a Good Thing Can hinder us from Seeing Better Things
Also too much of a good thing can hinder us from seeking better things. There are always better things to seek. In this case, the man overlooked better things which would be to share what he had with others. But he also overlooked his spiritual condition. Good personal things are important but not at the price of overlooking our spiritual things. The Bible says that we can not live on bread alone, There is a spiritual dimension of life which cannot be overlooked. The things of this life will pass away but we must seek eternal things which shall never end.
III Too Much of a Good Thing Can Result in the Loss of Everything .
The man lost everything in the end including all of the material things which he cherished so much. He had to die and lose everything. Seeking too much of the physical things of life can result in too much of a good thing. Seek first the kingdom of God because all these other good things will pass away. Beware of too much of a good thing which leads to loss of everything.
