Rich Toward God

Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." (Luke 12:15-21)

This parable used to bother me. It seemed that the rich man was simply being a good businessman, expanding capacity and doing financial planning so that he could enjoy retirement without being a burden on society. Wasn’t God being a bit harsh? Then I noticed that the man was not condemned for what he had done, but for what he did not even consider doing: he did not give thanks to God, nor show any concern for the poverty and suffering of others, which break God’s heart. He did not understand himself to be accountable as the trustee of a large fortune to be used for godly purposes. His motives were entirely selfish; his focus was on his own ease and enjoyment.  By contrast, God Himself is not self-centered, but abounds in compassion, such that He Himself paid the penalty for our sin with the life of His Son. All who truly understand the grace of God gladly imitate His generosity with grateful hearts!

“Heavenly Father, thank You for the blessings of Your grace and great wealth! Guide us through Your Spirit that we may imitate Your grace and generosity, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

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MISSING THE POINT…

A man who had just bought a brand new Lexus carefully parallel parked it outside his business. 

He was anxious to show off the beautiful, gleaming new car to his co-workers.

However, as he opened the door to get out, a truck veered too close and ripped off his door. 

A police officer was nearby and happened to see the accident.

After reporting in, the policeman quickly walked over to see if the man was injured.

He was ranting hysterically: “My car! My car! It was brand new! It will never be the same!”

When the man calmed down enough to listen, the officer shook his head and admonished him.

“You are so materialistic. I can’t believe how obsessed you are with possessions!”

The man responded angrily, “That car was my pride and joy! Now it’s ruined!”

The officer responded, “But you don’t seem to even care that you also lost your left arm!”

The man looked down, stunned, and then went into hysterics once again:

“My Rolex! My Rolex! It’s gone!”

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God grant you eternal perspective and a wealth of wisdom! In Jesus,

Pastor Kirk