The Essential Jesus (Part 10): The Parables of JesusSample

Rich Toward God

PRAY: Heavenly Father, more than anything else, I desire to have a deeper relationship with you. Please show me how I can do that today.

READ: Luke 12:13-21

REFLECT: Talk about chutzpah! This man had the guts to interrupt Jesus in front of "many thousands" (Luke 12:1) with a complaint about his estate plan (v. 13). You can almost hear the frustration in Jesus' voice (v. 14). But before we come down too hard on this poor brother, we need to ask if our money and possessions have ever caused us to lose sight of the more important things in life. No comment.

So what did Jesus say to this man (and other distracted followers like us) about money and possession?

Jesus puts his finger on the root problem: Greed (v. 15). Years later, the apostle Paul said the same thing: "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil" (1 Timothy 6:10). It's true that we need resources to survive. But Jesus warned that they could easily pull our hearts over the edge into greed, so we need to watch out.

Jesus reminds us that life is more than possessions (v. 15). I'll say "amen" to that every time, but honestly, I find it's easier said than done. On Saturday mornings, I love to drink a cup of coffee while looking at the glossy advertising inserts in the weekend paper. The funny thing is when I'm done, I often get this overwhelming urge to buy something, anything. I know life is more than possessions, but..

Jesus illustrates his point with a story about a rich fool (vv. 16-20), which could be summarized like this: he who dies with the most toys.. still dies. And notice that it wasn't the man who produced the incredible wealth for himself. Rather, "the ground" produced it (v. 16). Jesus' point is very clear: Even our ability to produce wealth is a gift from God. It all belongs to him. Our goal in life should not be to amass great wealth for ourselves. Rather, we should focus on becoming "rich toward God" (v. 21), and that will require us "to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share" (1 Timothy 6:18).

APPLY: What are some practical ways you can live a life that is "rich toward God"?

PRAY: God, I thank you for the many material blessings you've given to me. Please show me how I can use them in a way that pleases you.