Monday 18 March 2019

A Parable about a Rich Man

A Parable about a Rich Man.
Luke’s gospel records this parable of Jesus.
“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.” Luke 12:13-21.
Let me state from the beginning there is nothing wrong with being rich. There are many rich people in the church who serve the Lord honourably and faithfully. It is the love of money that’s the problem. The apostle Paul tells Timothy,
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” 1 Timothy 6:10.
What Jesus is saying here is where is your faith, in the riches of this world, or in God?
Matthew quotes Jesus in his gospel as saying,
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21.
Joshua in the old Testament speaking to the Israelites posed a question we all must answer
he said,
“Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.  
But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24: 14,15.
We who live in the twenty-first century especially if we claim to be followers of Christ Jesus need to assess our lives and decide who we will serve.
Do we serve the God’s of this world and put our trust in the riches of this world or do we follow the Lord God Almighty?
Please think about it.

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