Dull boy, dull knife.”
                    –Elmer Kelton  (Llano River)

There’s times when cold biscuits taste like sweet ambrosia.”
                    –Elmer Kelton  (The Pumpkin Rollers)

       “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.”
                    –Philippians 4:11(NLT)
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     “To be a fool in God’s eyes is to have missed the point of life,” so states Gary Inrig.  If you are following our study in Proverbs you will find that God speaks very harshly of the fool.  There is a parable regarding the fool found In Luke 12 that I want to spend some time examining.
     Perhaps I should start by asking, how do you measure affluence and success?  Usually people will say money and wealth, or fame and power, or prosperity and influence are the ways to describe success.  Can possessions actually be a mark of success in the eyes of God?  We read in Luke, “So, likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.” (14:33, NKJV)  Further in Luke, chapter 16 we read, “…For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” (vs 15, NKJV)  Ouch, harsh words.  Is it that the Lord detests the things we aspire to gain, or need to live?  It is surely more than that, for it is a question of attitude and motivation as well as that of possessions.

          13 — Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
          14 — But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” (NKJV)

     It was common to bring disputes to a rabbi for clarification.  Whether this was a trap set by the Pharisees or a voice from a concerned man wanting his full inheritance is one of debate.  But notice, this man didn’t want a proper judgment, he wanted the Lord to take his side.  He didn’t want justice, he told the Lord what to say.  As Inrig points out, “he wants Jesus to meet his monetary needs.”  He has missed the purpose and mission of Christ.  Man’s purpose is not to accumulate, to search for wealth, riches, or fame.  Man’s purpose is to seek God.

          15 — And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” (NKJV)
                  for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions. (NASB)
                  “Don’t be greedy!  Owning a lot of things won’t make your life safe.” (CEV)

     Jesus is calling to attention the spirit behind what is being said.  The man’s desire is to have more wealth than he needed.  Barclay translates this verse, “Watch and guard yourself against the spirit which is always wanting more.”  This man was not content with what he had, he wanted more.  “More–more–more” is the cry of the greedy heart.  Greed, wanting more, is like a man drinking sea water.  The more a man drinks the thirstier he becomes.
     People miss the purpose in life, and that’s a shame.  Sometimes when I see the greed of the bureaucrats and how they lie, cheat, and steal to gain more I get upset.  Then the Spirit taps the shoulder of my heart and I grieve.  Don’t they know that all will be lost?  Don’t they know that there is more to life?  Don’t they know that there is eternity and judgment waiting?  When death comes, what then?  They miss the purpose, and as Leon Morris said, “He [Jesus] came to bring men to God, not property to man.”  The Lord is not in the midst of prosperity despite what some preach.  He is not there to bring wealth, abundance, and prosperity.  “Owning a lot of things won’t make your life safe.”
     The Lord is giving a warning.  Watch out for greed.  “It is the very opposite of contentment that accompanies true godliness.” (Inrig)  There is no doubt as to the meaning of the Lord in these verses.  “God alone is the source of life; God alone controls life; God alone gives life.”  Paul wrote to Timothy words that we should hearken to, “Now godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” (1 Timothy 6:6-7, NKJV)

A man must grow up in so many ways.”

It was the best soup I had ever eaten in my life. It made me want a steak.”
                    –Dan Arnold  (Bear Creek)

       “For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.”
                    –Hebrews 5:13 (NKJV)
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     “Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me,” so wrote the Psalmist (131:2, NKJV)  That is the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  There are those times when we need His special caress and care.  Our soul for one reason or another is in turmoil and we need relief.  
     We sometimes fear that after we have come to Christ, accepted Him, and picked up our cross that we are led to our own devices, and far too often we try to carry that burden, that cross by ourselves.  No, we should turn to the blessed Holy Spirit to help us.  The soul, after it has definitely converted to the service of God, is one as a rule, spiritually nurtured and caressed by God.  St. John of the Cross said, “The loving mother is like the grace of God, for, as soon as the soul is regenerated by its new warmth and fervor for the service of God.”  
     Since we are born again, why would we not think that we need not be nurtured as a newborn?  Paul recollects that when he was in Thessalonica that, “But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children.”  (1 Thessalonians 2:7, NKJV)  People treat newborns much differently from an adolescent, or even a toddler.  The newborn cannot care for itself.  But as it begins to grow, it begins to use the abilities that are inherent within.  With that in mind, the mother does not leave the child to their own devices.  No, she cares, watches, helps when needed–the term we should use is nurtured.  The one who is born again, must be nurtured in the things of God.  Don’t throw him a theological steak when he doesn’t even have the means to chew.  As a child, nurture, let them grow.
     I will bring this up here for it fits.  In my experience I have often heard the term “age of accountability.”  When I ask what that means, I am usually told that when a child knows right from wrong.  Hmmm, I can remember my eldest daughter pulling herself up to stand by the television.  She would look at me, daringly.  I knew what was in that little heart.  She put her hand on the screen, then looked again at me.  “No,” I told her.  She gave one of those adorable smiles, then immediately did it again.  “No,” I said with a little more emphasis.  She knew what I was saying.  Now true, at first I had to redirect her, move her away from the temptation, but now, she understood what I meant.  She wasn’t even walking, but she knew the word “No” and what it meant.  Was that the age of accountability?  
     First of all, you won’t find that in Scripture, and second, it was part of the nurturing process of her growing up to face life.  That is what happens to a newborn Christian as well.  And I will say that just as we see growth in our children physically, emotionally, and mentally, we should also see growth in the baby Christian.  They should be growing in grace.  They should be drawn to do service.  The fruit of the Holy Spirit should eventually be seen in the person’s life.  Listen, this is important, grace, which is the new birth, will always bring forth service in one form or another.  I will also add that service is a synonym for worship in the Greek.  Our service is to our level of growth, as our worship should be.
     There is so much more to say on this subject.  I will mention that there is an awesome responsibility on the father and mother.  Homes without fathers, and I’m speaking of Dads who are home, but not involved, hurt the spiritual development of their children.  We have no record of the spiritual condition of Noah’s children, but we read, “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household…” (Hebrews 11:7, NKJV)  The NLT translates the verse this way, “It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood…”  Job’s regular practice was to pray and offer sacrifice for his children.
     Also there will be others along the way of the child’s spiritual growth to help guide, nurture and strengthen.  But remember, they are to help, not take the place of the parents.  Parents should know who is involved with the lives of their children!  Oh, what an awesome responsibility!