“This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’” Luke 12:18-19
I recently heard the fictitious story of a man who was offered untold wealth. Mansions, cars, gold bullion, anything he wanted. The man was immensely pleased but it came with one condition. He had to live with all his wealth on a desert island where he would never have contact with another human being for the rest of his life.
Suddenly all that wealth lost its attractiveness, with no one to share his wealth with, the houses, cars and gold lost their value because things alone don’t satisfy. Human beings were built for relationships and no amount of money, pleasure, or fame, will fill our need for companionship.
Maintaining healthy relationships is a challenge. We live in an imperfect world with imperfect people and the only way to remain in relationship with others is to accept that sometimes we’re hurt by others, and sometimes we hurt others. Practising forgiveness is simply apart of what it means to be in a relationship.
The greatest act of forgiveness is the Cross. God desired so much to be in relationship with his people that he sent his son to die. Let’s be amazed that God offers us forgiveness. He took the initiative and created a way for us to be his children.
Relationships are more valuable than all the things that money can buy, especially our relationship with God.
More New Testament devotions can be found here or on my Pinterest boards here.
