Being Rich in GodSample

Riches that survive death

“But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.“ (Luke 12:20-21, New Living Translation).

A request comes from the crowd standing around Jesus: “Master, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” Jesus refuses, saying, “Watch out and beware of greed. After all, though someone has abundance, his life is not part of his possessions.” He then tells a parable.

A rich man observes that his land has yielded much and builds bigger barns to store the harvest. A wise decision. What a wonderful empire he has. Now the enjoyment can begin! But no, that night his soul is demanded from him. His earthly riches are no longer of any use to him. It turns out he has invested in the wrong cause; God even calls him a fool!

The man's question from the crowd comes back to him like a boomerang. The inheritance he claims has value only as long as he himself lives. Jesus points him to other possessions: being rich in God. Do you pledge your soul to money and goods or do you entrust it to God? Those who do the latter have an inheritance in heaven. It is an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade! (1 Peter 1:4) Your soul is worth more than temporary possessions, because your soul is eternal.

What legacy are you looking forward to? What does that legacy mean to you?