Rich Toward God
Luke 12:16-20
Wednesday , March 7th
What ’ s your net worth ? I think you know what I ’ m talking about when I use that term , right ? You take your assets ( the money and things you have ) and subtract your liabilities ( your debts and obligations ) and what is left over is your net worth . So what are you worth ? The thought could be depressing for some . Others might do the math and think , “ Hey , I ’ m doing okay !” Either way that whole concept of net worth is kind of misleading . But , it totally fits with this world ’ s mindset . What makes something worth something ? It ’ s how much money it costs . It ’ s how much money is invested in it . It ’ s how much money you could sell it for . Money makes the world go round , right ? Wrong . This world ’ s view of money and possessions is totally out of whack . That point is made very clear in the words of Jesus in Luke chapter 12 . Money is a good thing . It ’ s a gift from God . It serves a purpose . But if we begin to look at money and stuff the way the world does ( and we absolutely do ) then money is meaningless . Then , no matter how much money you have , you will not be rich , at least not where it really counts . The only thing that counts is being rich toward God .
The problem with the man in Jesus ’ parable was not that he was rich . The problem is that this man was a fool ! He thought his abundance of possessions assured him of a life of ease . He failed to recognize that his wealth did not dictate his future ; God did . And God had set that very night as the limit of his life . All of his earthly riches would now be used by others . And what was even worse , since these were the only riches with which he had concerned himself , his death left him an absolute beggar . Death separated him from his only riches and he faced God ’ s judgment with no spiritual resources at all .
If your whole life is devoted to gathering earthly possessions , if your entire purpose is finding your contentment and security in what earthly wealth can afford , then you will spend this life and the next in abject poverty . Only what you have invested with God is permanent . Death is coming , and it ’ s the wages of sin . You need something else to deal with death . You need Jesus . Jesus always wants more for you than you want for yourself . So often we only think about what it will take to enjoy our years to come . What will that be ? A few decades of retirement ? A couple of getaways or a vacation home ? Jesus wants to give you an eternity in the comforts of his kingdom ! You want proof ? The One who has all authority gave it up for you . The One who owns everything gave it up for you . Jesus has made you rich toward God by giving you every spiritual blessing there is . Your bank account is full of forgiveness . Your portfolio is diversified with investments in God ’ s grace and mercy . You are heirs of an eternal kingdom . You are spiritually rich beyond compare . All because of Jesus .
Prayer : Lord Jesus , help me to always find true wealth in you . Amen .
Activity : Take this opportunity to teach your children about stewardship . Faithfully make a plan to use the blessings God gives us ( including our offerings to him ), but do not worry about our future because that is in our Savior ’ s hands .
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