By Chuck Reber

If you've been storing food and supplies in case of a potential natural disaster, or in case of a coming economic crisis, then you've probably be accused of hoarding. I can't count the times I've been on the receiving end of that accusation. Usually it tends to come from the "just trust God, brother" crowd.

These are the folks that continue to live under the delusion that they have no responsibility to prepare because God will swoop in and rescue them in the hour of crisis. Among them are some who take the idea a little further and say it's a breach of one's faith to store up food, water, and supplies against a potential crisis. They are banking on God bailing them out with a miraculous provision of everything they need in the hour they need it.

"Remember," they tell me, "Jesus multiplied five loaves and two fish and feed 5,000 people." I usually reply, "Yeah, but somebody donated the fish and bread, which means someone had some food on hand in the crisis, and they only got one meal out of the deal. The crowd came back for more food the next day,  but the only thing they went away with was a sermon from Jesus on him being the bread of life" (John 6). That usually gives them pause.

Why is it permissible to put away tens of thousands of dollars into a retirement account for the future, yet wrong to invest in food and supplies for the future? Why is it that people have no problem paying quarterly payments for a life insurance policy to take care of their family's needs when they die, yet accuse me of hoarding because I'm setting aside resources to care for my family in a crisis? They see what they’re doing as sensible, and what I'm doing as fearful.

Whether purchasing life insurance, saving for retirement, or setting aside provisions for a disaster, each one can all be done out of fear or done with wise foresight. The root issue here is motive. Why are you setting aside money or supplies? Are you afraid of what the future holds? When you look at the years ahead are you anxious? Does it stress you out or do you take it as a wakeup call?

The Scripture actually encourages us to look ahead and plan wisely. Here are a few examples:

"A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes
         blindly on and suffers the consequences" (Pr 22:3 NLT).

"Take a lesson from the ants...learn from their ways and be wise...they labor
          hard all summer, gathering food for the winter" (Pr 6:6-7 NLT).

Joseph, likewise, was a prudent man who put into practice these very truths and delivered a nation in the hour of crisis. Yet today, if someone follows Joseph's example they call him or her a hoarder!

We need to examine the motives at the root of the hoarder. They are vastly different from those of the prudent planner.

Jesus addressed the issue of hoarding in the Parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:13-21). He launched into this parable after being approached by some guy who called out to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.” Jesus wisely refused to get involved in the family’s debate over an inheritance. Instead of taking sides, He addressed the root of the issue – greed and covetousness. “Be on guard against every kind of greed,” he says. “Life is not measured by how much you own.”

He tells them a parable to illustrate this truth. There is a man who experiences a bumper crop yield on his farm. So he builds bigger barns to store up all the produce of his fields. He gets the new barns completed and all his crops stored away, then stands back in pride and says, “I have enough stored away for years to come. Now I can take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”

But, God said to him, “You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?”

Now the punch line of truth – “Yes, a person is a fool,” says Jesus, “to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

The point of the parable was to illustrate the futility of greed and covetousness. Jesus warned, “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Luke 16:13)

The man in the parable is so fearful of the future he can only think of storing up for himself. He doesn’t even concern himself with whether he has a relationship with God. He is serving money and what it can provide for him. He can only think of himself and the good life - retirement, where he can eat and drink and have a good time.

This foolish man never gave thanks to God for the bountiful harvest, nor did he pray and ask God what he should do with the abundance. He never thought of sharing the abundance with others. He was greedy and fearful of the future so he only looked out for number one, instead of humbly looking up to the One who gave all these things to him, including is life itself.  He is the epitome of a hoarder.

If we contrast this man with Joseph, we see the virtues of a God-centered life in Joseph. He was shown a glimpse of prosperity (seven years of plenty) followed by scarcity (seven years of famine). Yet he never once thought of himself. He presented a plan to Pharaoh that would provide for the people of Egypt in the days of famine. During the seven years of prosperity, Joseph never considered hoarding goods for himself, but he stored up resources for the future in order to help others during the coming crisis.

Most importantly, Joseph made his relationship with God a priority. Joseph was a spiritual man who loved and served the Lord. He openly acknowledged that his ability to interpret the dream and the wise plan for storing food was from the Lord. Joseph’s motives were godly and unselfish. There was no fear of the future, only faith in his God who revealed the future and gave him the plan.

How about you? What is your motive for preparing for the coming crisis? God is calling forth the “Josephs” for our hour of crisis. Pursue your relationship with the Lord above everything else. Go before Him and get His vision for the your family, your church, and your city.  Ask Him to cleanse you of all fear, greed, and covetousness. Offer yourself and all your possessions to Him and watch what He will do through you.

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