Being rich toward God

 

This week we are focused on the phrase "be rich toward God." This is from our passage in Luke 12, and I will post the final verse again here:

 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:21, NIV)

Most of the time, we humans focus so much on how we can be rich for ourselves, that we don't stop to think about this. How can a person be "rich toward God"? What does the phrase mean?

I guess the first thing we should do is examine the problem of the rich fool from the parable. Over the years, people have wondered (quietly or aloud) what exactly this means. Isn't it ok to have some money set aside? Shouldn't we plan for the hard times?

Yes. And yes.

The first problem that the wealthy farmer in Luke 12 had is this: he already was wealthy, but was motivated by greed. We see this in verses sixteen and eighteen:

And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. (v 16)

“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. (v 18)

Jesus said that this person had been materially blessed by God. His land produced plentifully. As God continued to bless him, he was faced with a choice. If he'd gone to the scriptures, his choice would have been clear:

Do not trust in oppression,
And do not vainly rely on robbery;
If wealth increases, do not set your heart on it. (Psalm 62:10)

Honor the Lord from your wealth,
And from the first of all your produce; Then your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine. (Proverbs 3:9-10)

Instead of honoring the Lord from his wealth, this man was only interested in managing his increase and accumulating more. He doesn't give a thought to giving back to God; he is setting his heart on his wealth and planning even larger barns. He planned on taking God's blessings and storing them away - hoarding them for himself. 

There's an interesting point within the parable. God says to the man in the story, "And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?"  This is echoing the points that we studied last week, about people who are devoted to (and consumed by) the accumulation of wealth. Solomon said:

So I hated all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me. (Ecclesiastes 2:18)

And this verse:

One person gives freely, yet gains even more;
    another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. (Proverbs 11:24)

If the wealthy farmer had consulted the scriptures, he might have realized that we are blessed in order to be a blessing in the lives of others.

But maybe he didn't realize it because he thought his security was in HIS accomplishments and in that wealth - instead of thinking his security was in God.

And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ (Luke 12:19)

Kinda sounds like he planned an early retirement, don't you think? (Grin) I believe the whole point of the verses from the psalms and proverbs that are listed above is that if we honor God with what He has given us, He will bless us with more - so that we can honor Him more. We cannot allow money to become our master, because that means that God is NOT our master. (Matthew 6:24)

What about the question of our wealth and financial health? Isn't it ok to save some money? Yes, it is. But we must be careful. There are many motivational books and podcasts (see, I am "with it," and up-to-date on technology) that teach people; they focus on thinking and getting rich, on living our best life right now, or on how to suddenly be a millionaire. Most of these focus on self-achievement. They don't focus on achieving the will of God in our lives. So, the result is that people are not encouraged to seek God, but they are encouraged in covetousness and greed. They presume that obtaining worldly wealth is a sign of spiritual maturity! 

Lastly, the world tells us to live our lives to enrich ourselves. It tells us to lay up treasures for our own pleasure. But we are not to be conformed to the teachings of the world. 

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. (II Corinthians 9:8)

We are blessed by God so that we can be blessings in the lives of others. If He has blessed us with material wealth, we need to make certain we don't "set our heart" on it, and instead, be rich toward God. 

We'll finish our study tomorrow.