The Priority of Life

"Then he said to them,  'Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.'"
Luke 12:15 

Lately, the Holy Spirit has been speaking to me about priorities. I've been learning that what God considers important is vastly different than what I consider to be important. His priorities are clearly different than mine. I live in a physical world full of difficulties. I am more concerned about money, food, and things than I should be. It's not that I've missed the point. I have always known that the kingdom of God is entirely different than our world. I understand that life is far more than having stuff. But walking in this truth is a process. It is a matter of putting off the old ways and taking on the new ones. Learning this way of life is serious business for us Christians. 
    There's a phrase that has gotten a lot of attention over the past few years. It says: "The one who dies with the most toys wins." I have disliked that statement from the first time I heard it, but it certainly sums up the mentality of the world in which we live. We simply cannot allow possessions to become so important that we lose our priorities. Please understand that God is not against us having possessions. Some have been blessed to the point that they may have many. The issue is not about how many things we have. The issue is how we think about those things. Are they so important that we can't give them up? Are we more sorrowful over losing some of our stuff or losing the blessing of the kingdom? This is where the conflict lies. This is exactly what God wants us to understand. 
    It is difficult to say it any better than Jesus did: "A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." We will never gain peace and joy from having things. If we look for satisfaction in possessions, then the more stuff we have, the more we will need to satisfy our lust for it. Things are expendable, eternity is not. Who God created us to be and what he has called us to accomplish is what our lives are about. Everything else takes a back seat. Many times, Jesus told us not to worry about these things. Even food, shelter, and clothing are on the 'do not worry about' list. If we aren't to worry about these things, why would we waste our time worrying about peripheral, worldly things that will burn and be turned to dust?
    I believe these are days in which God is challenging us more and more to forsake the things of the world and enter into the fullness of the kingdom of heaven. To respond correctly, we need to first change the way we think. We should examine ourselves and see if things have too great of a priority. After all, we may lose some things. The economy and the world are brittle. They can crack at any time. Many of us have faced this reality over the past several years. It may hurt to lose our stuff, but a much greater blessing is ours as we leap into the kingdom. Check yourself. What are your priorities in life? If there needs to be an adjustment, allow the Holy Spirit to guide you through the process. In the end, the blessings of heaven will flow.