Sometimes God puts something on my mind, and doesn’t let it go. The parable of the rich fool, as found in Luke 12:16-21 is one of them. If you subscribe to our daily email, last week, I wrote a short article about giving God the credit. Too often, we don’t give God the credit He deserves for what is going on in our lives. After I wrote that devotion, God put this parable on my mind. I am still asking why.
The parable tells the story of a certain rich man whose farm had produced a great harvest. He had so much to harvest that his barns could not hold all the harvest. He thought about his problem and what he should do about it. He decided to build bigger barns and then take it easy for the next few years as he would have enough for a while. Verse 20 gives the response of God to his mans plans; “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?” The plan of this rich farmer was brought to nought. God challenged his plan. Maybe the farmer should have kept what he needed, then sold or given away the rest.
I think the key to understanding this parable is found in verse 21, “So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God.” How much time do we spend building up our bank accounts, our 401K’s and out possessions and fail to give to God? Maybe that is what God wants me to learn from this parable. Money is at the very center of our society today. Without money, you can’t do or buy anything. Many of us have maxed out credit cards, and little or no money in the bank, yet God challenges us to be rich towards Him. Maybe if we started trusting God with our finances, He will make sure our future is taken care of.
If you spend time on Social Media, you will see many blog posts of why tithing isn’t for today. I don’t believe that. Maybe if we gave God what belongs to Him, we would see our world changed. If the only thing I knew about you was what I saw in your checkbook register, would I be able to tell if you are a follower of Jesus?
