How much do you need? Both Ephesians 5:5 and Colossians 3:5 identify greed as a type of
“idolatry,” of loving something more than God. Jesus’ sad parable reminds us that our life is
not about how much we have. The day comes for all when the only question is, “Who will
get all the ‘stuff’ I’ve accumulated?”

• One option never seems to occur to the man in Jesus’ story. He never says, “I’ve got more than enough. Maybe I’ll give some of it away.” How easy or hard is it for you to be generous with the money, time or “stuff” you have? What wishes or fears get in the way of generosity?
• How do you understand Jesus’ challenging phrase about being “rich toward God”? What steps can you take, in your day-to-day life, to increase this kind of inner wealth in your life? How can you share that approach to life with your children or other people with whom you have some influence?