Steven A. Bush - October 23, 2022
The Poor Wealthy Farmer
In Luke 12:16-21 we hear from Jesus: "And He told them a parable, saying, 'The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” (ESV) In the verses that follow, Jesus describes what it means being rich toward God with the full weight of our souls resting upon Him for all things necessary in this life. What are the pivotal words in this discourse? TRUST and TREASURE. This world and its god offer many shiny things to entice our fleshly bent towards greed and pleasure. As temporal and fleeting as they are, they still ensnare many. Perhaps Jesus' rhetorical question in Mark 8:36 is one we should all consider: "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" (NKJV) The answer? Nothing!
Scripture References: Luke 12:13-34, 1 Timothy 6:10, James 1:13-15, Mark 8:36