Rich Toward God

Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” 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.” Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘ What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘ I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”   Luke 12:13-21

One of Christ’s roles is that of judge of all the earth (For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son. John 5:22)but He did not come to be arbitrator of petty earthly disputes. Settling an inheritance dispute was a matter for civil authorities. Take heed, and beware of covetousness—This is opposite of the popular concept of the world today. As far as the world around you is concerned, a man’s life does consist in the abundance of things that he possesses, and thus, men are trying to amass more things to themselves. But Jesus is declaring that you’ve got to be more careful of covetousness. Because a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of things he possesses. What then does a man’s life consist of ? If it is to glorify God then it will focus on relationships, which are far more important to God than what one posesses. For what profit is it to a man if  he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?(Luke 9:25). Your relationship being right with God is more important and more valuable than all of the possessions you could ever amass for yourself. It is tragic to think that many men have so lived with that drive for more possessions for themselves not even realize it is driven by covetousness, and greed to have more than anyone else. And because relationships suffer, how many marriages and families are broken apart, because the head of the family, the husband and father is never home, and has neglected his committment to his family. This is not even to say, how many men have driven themselves so hard that they have destroyed their own health? The toll of stress on their bodies takes its mark on the human heart. So with good warning we read those things of which life does consist, life’s consistent relationships, primarily your relationship with God, which will also affect your relationship with others, needs to be guarded against a covetous spirit which will destroy these things.

But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will required of you—Interesting isn’t it, of a man’s opinion of himself. And God’s opinion of him. The rich man’s opinion of himself, “I’ve got it made!” God’s opinion of him was: “Thou Fool!” Notice that this man was only in the dream state, he had yet built his bigger barns, these were only his plans. “As soon as I have bigger barns, as soon as I fill them with all my crops, Then I will be able to say, ‘Ah, take it easy now. Eat! Drink! and be Merry!. But he never did arrive at that place in life. But even if he did live longer, and carried out his plans, it is quite possible that the reality of the very rich is not one of ease, while doing nothing, for very few people arrive there in this life. There is a proverb Solomon wrote about, those things that are never full. And one of those things is that desire, is never full, never satisfied. The leech has two daughters—Give and Give!  There are three things that are never satisfied, Four that never say, “Enough!” : The grave, The barren womb, The earth that is not satisfied with water— And the fire never says, “Enough!” Four illustrations of the greedy are given, all of which are parasitic in nature and characterize the heart of human greed.

Beloved Friend, This is whom the parable is addressed to. People who have been so careful to lay up treasure only for themselves, but are not rich towards God. Their relationship with God has suffered as a result or consequence of their choice to want their reward now. We have to remember as Christians, that our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20), from which we will be rewarded for all that we have done for the Lord while living here on earth. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ(Romans 5:1). Life is turbulent. Even keeping our families clothed, a roof over our heads, and food on our tables is constantly a challenge for many of us. Deadlines are hectic bill collectors don’t seem to care about your problems until your late with their payments. Trials come constantly. We need peace and that is what we have in Jesus Christ! Trust in His power of His resurrection and you shall see and know eternal heavenly rest. Rejoice in that rest today! And tell others of that redemptive power that He gives to all who come to Him in faith, and believe in His offer of forgiveness and of our salvation. In doing so, you will be laying up treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasures is, there your heart will be also(Matthew 6:20-21).

May the Lord bless your walk today!

Author: rontrujillo

Married 37 years We have six children. All of whom are adult. Three are married one of them blessed us with three beautiful grandchildren. Retired Firefighter @ Boeing Aircraft 37 years (Formally McDonnell Douglas) Born Again Summer of 1981 View all posts by rontrujillo