Luke 12:15
And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

It is an easy trap to fall into, so we must be very careful.  It is something that can creep into our lives without us even noticing.  Suddenly the draw of wealth and possessions and having stuff becomes more important than it ought to be, and our focus ends up on the wrong things, and our life’s pursuit becomes having those things and getting more and then keeping it all.

Wealth is not the true measure of ourselves or our lives.  A rich man is not better than a poor man.  A life does not gain value with possessions and riches.  God has assigned us our value.  We are valuable to Him because He made us, and we are valuable because we are His creation.  So our lives are not to be about what we have.  Getting caught in that trap of covetousness, which places riches and possessions at the top as the most important aspect of life, means we miss out on the more valuable things.

So what if we changed the focus of our lives from accumulating more to giving more?  What if we cared less about having an abundance of things and cared more about an abundance of love or grace or mercy for those around us?  What if we measured our success in life not based on how much money we have in the bank, but how many lives we’ve touched with the love of God and the truth of His Word?  What if we really started living in such a way that put less emphasis on having possessions and more emphasis on having the right heart and the right spirit?  What if our lives really were all about serving God and living for Him?

The shiny things of this world easily draw us in.  And there is nothing wrong with having the things that God has given to us.  There is nothing wrong with making money to provide for ourselves and our families.  There is no shame in having possessions.  But how much wealth we have here plays no role in our eternal future.  And sometimes having what we’re not supposed to have pulls us away from the more important things.  So may we spend our lives and our time on pursuits that truly matter.