Rich toward God
Today's focusJesus warns against greed, because life is not measured by possessions, and tells of a rich man who builds bigger barns for himself but is not rich toward God.
Read
15And 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. 16And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18And 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. 19And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20But 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? 21So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
Reflection
When you look at your life, what do you use to measure your success? In this passage, Jesus warns you to "beware of covetousness," reminding you that "a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth." We often believe that having more will bring us peace, but Jesus shows that life is much deeper than the "fruits" and "goods" we gather.
The man in the parable experienced a harvest where his ground "brought forth plentifully." Rather than looking outward with gratitude, he focused only on himself, planning to "pull down my barns, and build greater." He believed his soul could find rest in having "much goods laid up for many years." However, his life did not belong to him, and he could not take his wealth with him when his soul was "required" of him.
This story encourages you to look at your own heart. True security is not found in building bigger barns for yourself, but in being "rich toward God." While the world counts what you have, God looks at your relationship with Him. Real life is found in recognizing that everything you have comes from His hand.
AI-written reflection on the passage above. Let Scripture itself be the main thing.
Reflect
What would it look like for you to be 'rich toward God' with what you have been given this year?
Pray
Lord, guard me from greed and from trusting in what I own. My life is in your hands, not in my barns. Make me rich toward you and generous toward others.