Neville Turley

“Watch out and guard yourselves from every kind of greed; because your true life is not made up of the things you own, no matter how rich you may be.”  Luke 12:15(GNT)

Jesus warning about the sin of greed is as applicable today as it was then.

Jesus said that there was once a rich man whose land yielded bumper crops.  So much so that he decided to tear down his existing barns and build bigger ones to store his excess corn and other produce.  Once this was done, he planned to retire and enjoy himself, in the knowledge that his future was secure. However that very night, he died!

The parable of the rich fool is a stern warning to all of us to get our priorities right. 

God places us on earth for a purpose and it behoves each one of us to seek his will for our life.  The rich man is portrayed as a completely self-centred individual who has no interest in God at all. 

He also does not come across as someone with any compassion for his fellow man.  In the society in which he lived, there must have been many people who were disadvantaged.  Did he consider giving them a helping hand?  Not at all, instead he decided to build bigger barns.  This would enable him to keep all his surplus stock for his own exclusive use.  He wanted it all. 

Jesus depicts the rich man, as one whose sole interest is amassing more earthly riches, but who then dies, before he can enjoy the benefits.

It is our responsibility to plan for when we are longer able to work.  However we should always bear in mind that no matter how long the length of our retirement may be, it will be brief compared to the time we are destined to spend in eternity.

We need to take the counsel of our Lord to heart and amass riches in heaven. (Luke 12:32-34). The Bible shows us how.

Prayer: Oh God of our salvation, anoint us with the Holy Spirit that we may amass treasures in heaven.  This we pray in Jesus name.  Amen