“And He said unto them, ‘Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consists not in the abundance of the things which he possesses’” (Luke 12:15).

Bumper stickers sometimes convey interesting statements from one driver to another. One bumper sticker stated, “The only difference between men and boys is the cost of their toys.” Another bumper sticker read, “He who has the most toys at the end of life is the winner.” While the first bumper sticker may be fairly accurate, the second bumper sticker tragically is wrong. A person’s life does not consist in the things he or she possesses. Several tornadoes struck shortly before suppertime. One major tornado roared through the neighborhood, leveling homes and destroying property. The TV news interviewed a couple who lost everything. The husband composed himself enough to say, “All of our possessions are gone. But we are alive and have each other. Far greater is the fact that we belong to the Lord. We believe that God is good all the time, even today.” While we enjoy our material possessions, we must remember that the value of our lives does not consist of how much stuff we have accumulated.

For today: I appreciate my things and even enjoy my collections. However, these will never define me because a man’s life consists not in the abundance of things which he possesses.