Meeting guide · command 77

Guard Against Greed; Be Rich Toward God

Guard against covetousness and become rich toward God rather than building security around accumulated possessions.

Read

Read the complete passage aloud.

Primary passage

Luke 12:15–21

15 He said to them, “Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man’s life doesn’t consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses.” 16 He spoke a parable to them, saying, “The ground of a certain rich man produced abundantly. 17 He reasoned within himself, saying, ‘What will I do, because I don’t have room to store my crops?’ 18 He said, ‘This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns, build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 I will tell my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry.”’ 20 “But God said to him, ‘You foolish one, tonight your soul is required of you. The things which you have prepared—whose will they be?’ 21 So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

World English Bible

Jesus refuses to become a tool in an inheritance dispute and tells of a prosperous man whose larger barns cannot preserve his life.

Discuss

Listen carefully to what Jesus says.

  1. What does Jesus command?
  2. What does this passage reveal about Him?
  3. Where do we resist this command?
  4. What is difficult or unclear?
  5. Where does prudent provision end and covetous self-security begin?

Practice

Choose one specific act of obedience.

Choose one surplus resource you are storing primarily for self-protection and redirect a responsible portion toward worship, generosity, or a genuine need.

Return

Come back and discuss what happened.

What did you redirect, and what did the decision reveal about your definition of security?

Close together

Pray. Then prepare to teach.

Pray

God, guard us from covetousness. Make us grateful, generous, and rich in the things that matter before you.

Teach

Jesus is not condemning every form of saving; He exposes a life defined by abundance, isolated self-talk, and no richness toward God.