We are officially halfway through Luke! Hopefully you all are sticking to it and are encouraged and growing in the Lord’s Word!
I’m not going to lie….chapter 12 made my brain hurt a lot! I have learned so much in this chapter alone and I am having such a hard time organizing my thoughts so that they make sense to you all. So bear with me as you continue to read!
I’m going to look at verses 13 to 21. These verses are the story of the parable of the rich fool.
Someone in the crowd asks Jesus to tell his brother to divide the inheritance. Jesus responds, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” He then tells the crowd, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” He continues with the parable. A rich man had a field and it was plentiful. He thought to himself, “what should I do since I have no more room for my crops?” So he decided to tear down what he currently had and to build something larger to hold all his crops and goods. And then he tells himself, “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?” Jesus ends the parable with verse 21, which says, “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
I know that in this world I want all the things. All the clothes, electronics, new phone, toys for the kids, fancy car, etc….It is so easy for us to get caught up in the “wants” of the world. This is what Jesus is warning us against. Do not get caught up in covetousness because our life is not about all the “things” we possess!!
As believers in Jesus, we have so much more!!
Is it wrong for us to lay up treasures for ourselves in this world? I think the answer is no, it is not wrong, BUT it can be wrong if that is our sole focus in this life.
Our goal in life is to be “rich toward God”! We can see from the rich man that it has nothing to do with our “goods” or our “possessions”.
So, what does being rich toward God look like in our lives?
Let’s look at 1 Timothy 6:17-19 to give us some insight on how we can be rich toward God. It says,
“Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”
1 Timothy 6:17-19 ESV
- Do not be haughty (proud or arrogant).
- Trust in the Living God
- Do good works-give/share/store up (not to earn salvation-but as a result of salvation! We give because we love God and want others to see the love of God through our good works!)
Let’s be rich toward God starting today and continuing forward with our lives! I am so thankful to be able to share my thoughts with you guys! Hope it was encouraging and made sense today! Let’s press on and continue through Luke! Can’t wait for the next chapter!
