Rich Toward God

Luke 12:21 finishes the story of the rich fool (whose life was taken from him) by saying, "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

I got to thinking what does "rich toward God" mean? I timothy 6: 18&19 regarding the rich say, "Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life." Clearly, there is an element in the Bible that specifically addresses those that are "rich." The Bible says that we can be "arrogant" and are prone to put our "hope" in wealth.

So, the question now turns to who is rich? We would all probably say the person that has a "little more than I do." But, the reality is that most of us that read this entry are rich. Rich in the sense that we can fall into the trap of putting our hope in wealth and thinking that life is best in the abundance of possessions. Yet, Jesus tells us that this is wrong thinking.

The rich fool used the pronouns "I or my" EIGHT times in TWO verses. My perspective is that any of us can be that rich fool because it is a condition of the heart. I have seen many people that have very little and yet be very greedy and possessive. At the same time, I have seen very wealthy people be generous toward God. The reality is that it boils down to our hearts and when we have money it reveals our priorities in life. Being rich toward God is an internal, personal issue that we all must struggle with. But, I leave you with a few questions:

1. When you give, do you give freely with a gratefule heart or do you ask what is the minimum I can give?

2. While we are stewards of the possessions we have, do you disproportionately get angry if you child dings your car with his bike?

3. Do you make decisions largely based on "me, myself, and I"?

4. When is the last time you decided to not go on a vacation and instead give the money away?

5. When is the last time you did a "good deed" for someone that could not pay you back?

Take a few moments and think about these. Ask God to reveal to you where you have done well and where you can grow. If you are really daring, ask a friend.