Friday, April 4: Luke 12- Rich toward God.

So much Jesus teaching! This chapter touches on so many areas of life. My walk with Jesus would be enriched no matter where I stopped to meditate.

I felt a nudge to ponder on verses 13-21, the challenge of riches, because I live with an abundance of riches…

Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."

Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry."' 

"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' 

"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

The context of the story is dividing an inheritance. An unnamed person is upset about the amount his brother received compared to what he received, so this person came to Jesus hoping Jesus would help him get more of the inheritance. Jesus tells a parable as He seizes a teaching moment. The parable leads to the punch line, verse 21: "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

Don’t become consumed with wealth and riches. Don’t horde your riches for personal gain alone; use what God has given to be rich toward God.

I spent the rest of my morning thinking about what it means to be rich toward God. Does God need anything? NO, God already owns everything. Being rich toward God likely means living out God’s agenda.

·         Showing justice and mercy… (Micah 6:8)

·         Spreading the name of Jesus to the ends of the earth… (Matthew 14, 28)

·         Caring for parents… (James 2)

·         And for the poor and those who lack… (James 3)

·         Praising and worshipping the Lord God faithfully (see Matthew & Mark, love the Lord your God with all…)

The parable suggests that if we are not living this way then we risk God’s judgment.

Whoa…

Lord, help me to be honest with and about me… Am I honestly living a life that is rich toward You?

Speak, Lord. Correct, affirm, realign… as You know best. Amen.