“And one of
the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the
inheritance with me. And he
said unto
him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?
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. 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? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich
toward God.” (Luk 12:13-21)
The ground … brought forth plentifully. This man
was a farmer, so he did all that a farmer was expected to do to get a good
crop. He tilled the ground properly, planted some seed, cleared out the weeds,
applied fertilizer and then waited for harvest. And it came in abundance. His
thought process when the harvest came gives us an idea of who this man was and
the verdict of the Almighty.
No appreciation for the great harvest. You only
appreciate people for what you believe they did for you. This man had no need
to appreciate God for the harvest because he did not think God had anything to
do with it. As far as he was concerned, it was the result of diligent personal
efforts and expertise. How about the rains? Ah that was a natural thing!
Some give
thanks to God with their mouths for their accomplishments, but hear them talk
later and you know what their hearts really believe – ‘I did it’! No man can
receive a thing except God gives him. You can plant, you can water, but only
God can give the increase. You can treat, only God can heal. A horse can
prepare against the day of battle, but safety is of the LORD! Never forget
this: ALL THAT YOU ARE AND HAVE COMES FROM THE LORD.
My fruits, my barns, my goods, my soul. This man has something! It’s all about ‘me’.
God does not give us things so we can take ownership; He gives us things to
hold in trust. Man is a steward of God’s world. That was the way it was in the
garden. Eden was God’s, Adam and Eve were stewards (caretakers). Since Eden’s
fall man has slipped into a possessive animal holding on to mundane things. We
don’t own anything. Naked we came, naked we go! When prosperity comes
appreciate God for it and hold it in trust, using it only as He wills.
Conserve the harvest. This was
one positive about this man though his motive was entirely wrong. Don’t waste
the blessings that God sends your way. Some children of God are so wasteful.
They believe God will provide, so they are so prodigal with what God gives
them. Learn to save, invest and to multiply the wealth in your hands.
I will say to my soul, … What a man
says to himself is so crucial, it reveals who the man is.
i.
Life is not
about having abundance of goods laid up for many years. Many folks
are working hard every day accumulating things. Greed, pride and fear of the
unknown is behind much of this. But the ability of a man to meet his needs in
life does not depend on his net worth! A millionaire could have a billionaire
need. Many want to keep wealth for old age and for great grandchildren, vanity!
ii.
Life is not about
‘eat, drink and be merry’. A young one goes through school dreaming to
come tops in their class. When that is achieved, he thinks of a great pay job.
When money begin to flow in he gets cars, houses, wife (or wives), plenty of
gadgets, more money stored up in high yielding investments. He can eat and
drink what he wants, travel to wherever he wants, party with the high and
mighty in society, etc. Is that life?
Thou Fool. Am so glad I did not call you
a fool, Jesus did! Jesus did use strong language in dealing with people and we
must not shy away from it. But who is a fool?
1. He is a fool who forgets he will die one day. Many people
refuse to think or talk about death. When we die we come face to face with our
maker. Prepare for it more than anything else. Mercy time is now not after
death. Forgiveness is now not after death.
2. He is a fool who forgets he can die even tonight! What a
difference it will make if we all do things with the thought that we might die
tonight! Many know and think of death – but it’s far away, when I am 150 years
old! If this fool was aware he was going to die that night, he would have acted
differently. Whatever you know you will do if God tells you death is coming
tonight do it every day!
3.
He is a fool
who forgets that he came naked to this world and will take nothing out! Jesus asked
‘whose will these things be?’ No man takes anything with him when he dies. I
see men spending so much on embalmment, caskets, tombs, cemeteries and all the
sort when people die. Friends, it’s all a waste of resources that could benefit
the living and Kingdom work! You take nothing with you so why all the struggle
when you know it’s all going to be left behind very soon. The children you are
living it for may kill each other over it or just ‘prodigal son’ it!
So
is he that
layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” The Rich
Fool is not alone. He has many siblings who are just like him. They lay great treasures
just for themselves. They even use God to achieve their vision. Much of what
people do on earth (even becoming church goers) is so that they can get
treasures on earth. The wise are rich towards God.
1. They make
all the legitimate money they can make by all legitimate means.
2. They trust
in Jesus and not in wealth.
3. They only
spend on their bare necessities, living as pilgrims and strangers on earth.
4. They don’t
see the wealth as theirs, but God’s.
5. They use the
wealth as God directs to fund Kingdom Expansion.
6. They prepare
for the day of Jesus so that they will not be cast away.
Are you rich
towards God? Please find a quiet place to meditate on this and talk with God.
Shalom!
