God's Adoption for the FatherlessSample

Day Six – Hoarding vs. Kingdom Wealth

When Becca and I got married, we lived in a 500 square feet apartment. God called us to the mission field, and when we moved out of that little apartment, the amount of stuff in that space shocked us. Little items had been stashed in corners. We didn’t remember buying some of those items.

For children living in an orphanage or transitioning through foster homes, they don’t get to have or keep much, and they often begin to hoard, even steal, things. Kids in an orphanage will fight violently for what they have.

The lie – we won’t ever get anything else good again, so we must hold on to what we have, at any cost.

This lie leads to a constant focus on material things, thinking they will satisfy us. We fill our lives with objects to make us feel more secure. We hold on to stuff or opportunities, refusing to share. As a result, we can’t give and be generous to others.

The Truth – being in the Father’s family means we are part owners in the infinite resources of Heaven.

In the parable of the Prodigal Son, the older son felt cheated and unable to throw a party with his friends. The father, representing God, said, “All I have is yours. You could have thrown a party anytime you wanted.”

We often feel poor when we are very wealthy, never truer than for those born again in God’s family. As children of the King, we are inheritors of the Kingdom in Christ. The Kingdom is eternal and infinite, which means that there is plenty for everyone, and we can’t ever lose it! Despite what our bank account says, we are abundantly wealthy. We have treasures in earthen vessels!

If we seek the eternal wealth of the Kingdom and God’s righteousness, he provides everything we need. If God didn’t spare his Son, what won’t he give us?

The reality of these promises breaks our need to hoard, and now we can be generous with others. Owning all things through Christ, we are free to live the abundant reality that “it is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Father, as your child, thank you that you have abundantly provided for me all things that I need. Help me to rest in your eternal provision and then be generous with others around me. Amen.