Rich Toward God

Luke 12:15-21 (ESV)
¹⁵  And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” ¹⁶  And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, ¹⁷  and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ ¹⁸  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. ¹⁹  And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ ²⁰  But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ ²¹  So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Many times things don't turn out like you expected. You can look at all the circumstances, make your decision based upon them and find yourself in deep trouble. You simply can't take everything into account. That is why it is so important that you know walk with God in everything you do.

Things may look dismal. It may appear that following God has been a bad decision. God's plans don't always include man's success. There are times when God lets His servants struggle. He leaves them with "thorns in the flesh." He allows them to be beseiged by their enemies. He makes more happen through the tough times than would have happened if things had gone perfectly.

Lots of people are doomed because of their good fortune. They see no need for God. They look at all the good things that are happening to them and wonder how their lives could improve if they had God in their lives. So they make plans without God. They can't see it but they are the ones who are making the foolish decisions.

This year will have good times and bad times for all of us. I believe that God must be central to our lives. Everything needs to be interpreted through Him. Every decision needs to be brought to Him. Being rich toward God means that our walk with Him is more valuable than the events which happen to us whether good or bad.

It's very important that we keep this in mind each day of this new year. We don't know what tomorrow brings so we make sure that we are walking with God today.