Reading: Luke 12-13
And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided(Luke 12:16-20)?
The rich man in the above parable was a prudent, worldly farmer of great affluence. Jesus recounts that he was a hard worker who always planned ahead, two traits generally considered positive. As Jesus' narrative continues, however, it becomes evident that the man has taken both qualities to a spiritually unhealthy extreme. Instead of merely exercising personal responsibility, he had turned miserly. God had richly blessed him, but he never even considered sharing it with those in need. His whole focus was on storing it and saving it for himself to use at some future time. And although he had lived under the bounty of God’s generosity for many years, he had yet to ever experience ease or joy. He was so focused on ‘getting ahead’ that there was never time for anything else.
And He said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth (Luke 12:15). Money cannot buy happiness. This phrase is thrown around all of the time in today's society, but precious few of us believe it. Most of us are confident that a well-timed windfall could go a long way towards improving our happiness quotient, at least during our time here on earth. Jesus warns us strongly against getting caught up in the pursuit of wealth. There is something grim and terrifying in the finality of His words as He discusses the possible effect of earthly wealth on our willingness to serve the Lord (Matt. 19:21-24) or help those in need (James 2:16). The world has conditioned us to measure men by their bank accounts, new cars, and fine homes, yet to God, these things mean nothing. Chasing after our fortune will leave us tired and stressed, but godliness with contentment is great gain (I Tim. 6:6). This contentment is not dependent on worldly possessions. Often the less we have, the easier it is to embrace the gift of God's love. If we have little, we learn to be content with that little, whereas if we have much, we live in fear of losing what we have.
Jesus’ words are not meant to imply that having wealth automatically precludes a person from His service; His warning is regarding our attitudes, not our possessions. Whether we have much or little, the Lord has chosen us to be His representatives. Therefore, as long as we fix our hearts on Him instead of on our bottom line, we will find ease and joy.
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Matt. 6:19-21).
Thought for Today: One that does everything correctly by the world’s standards has likely drifted far from the Lord’s.
Cross Reference: For Luke 13:27: See Ps. 6:8. Luke 13:35: See Ps. 118:26.
Word Studies: 12:50 straitened = pressed with intense sorrow; 12:58 hale = take by force; 12:59 mite = fraction of a cent; 13:8 dung it = fertilize it; 13:24 strait = narrow, strict, illustrating no deviation from what God has said in His Word.
Prayer for Staff:Judy McCrary • Government Official: Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (MO), Rep. Troy Carter (LA), Rep. Byron Donalds (FL) • Country: Finland (5,268,799) Northern Europe • Major Languages: Finnish, Swedish • Religious Freedom • 78.4% Lutheran; 1.1% Orthodox; 1.1% Other Christian; 0.2% Other; 19.2% None • Prayer Suggestion: Praise the Lord for His wonderful blessings (Ps. 150:2).