Daily Devotions

"Be on your guard." — Luke 12:15 (ESV)

“Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

In this striking warning, Jesus cuts through our illusions. He doesn’t just name covetousness as a sin—He names it as a threat. A threat to our peace, to our freedom, and to our sense of what life is really about. His message is clear: a meaningful life isn’t measured by how much we own, but by who we belong to.

This teaching comes in response to a man who wants Jesus to settle a family dispute over inheritance. But Jesus doesn’t take the bait. Instead, He shifts the focus away from financial fairness and toward eternal perspective. In doing so, He uncovers a deeper issue—not just in that man, but in all of us: the tendency to attach our value and security to what we have.

In a world saturated with consumerism, comparison, and the constant pressure to upgrade, Jesus’ words are as radical now as they were then. Culture tells us to chase more. Jesus tells us to rest in Him.

True contentment isn’t found in accumulation—it’s found in abiding. It grows when our hearts are rooted in God's love, not in material gain. This is a wealth that can’t be stolen, rusted, or lost.

St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, captured this beautifully. He saw God not as a distant provider, but as a divine Lover—one who doesn’t just give us what we need, but gives Himself. For Ignatius, everything in creation was a gift designed to help us know and love the Giver more fully.

He once prayed:
“Lord, these are shattering ideas: let me not try to tame them but joyously live out of them.”

That’s the invitation. To live open-handed. To let go of the illusion of control and the addiction to more. To receive God’s gifts with gratitude—and then pass them on with joy.

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Prayer:
Lord,
Guard my heart from the lie that life is found in possessions. Teach me to live not with clenched fists, but with open hands—ready to receive, ready to give. May I measure my life not by what I own, but by Your grace, by love shared, and by faith lived daily.
Give me a heart big enough to imagine Your Kingdom, and humble enough to serve in it. Let me seek not riches, but wisdom. Not abundance, but Your presence.
And in all things, may I live for Your greater glory.
Amen.