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"And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?' So he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.'"
(Luke 12:17-18)
The rich fool in Jesus's parable in Luke 12 held tightly to his possessions. He never saw anyone beyond himself; life was all about him. He never looked beyond this life to the one to come. Jesus does not condemn this hard-working farmer; He did not call him corrupt or immoral. He gained more and more but could not handle it. Obviously, his diligent work paid off, and he was very blessed. Proverbs 10:22 says, "The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it." The problem with his thinking was he could not see beyond himself. He built larger barns to house his blessings. But that is when he should have made the better decision to give and help others. He decided to keep it all for himself, but he could have said, "It is time to share with others and give away some of these blessings God has given me."
How much is enough? Stanley said the Romans had a saying that went like this: "Money is like sea water; the more you drink, the thirstier you become." John Rockefeller was the founder of Standard Oil in the 20th century, and at the time, he was the richest man on earth. I have read Ron Chernow's excellent biography of him called The Titan. He was our country's first billionaire. To be a billionaire in the early 1900s was almost unthinkable. He was asked by a reporter, "How much money is enough?" Rockefeller replied,"A little bit more." The more one possesses, the more pressure one has to keep it; many hold their wealth and possessions so tightly in fear that they will lose them.
In verse 17, Jesus says the rich man "thought within himself". He did not speak with others and surely did not pray to God for wisdom on what to do with this bountiful crop he had received. Everything centered around him. He just knew that he would live a long life of pleasure where he would eat, drink, and be merry, the classic hedonistic response that so many embrace. In verse 19, he says something similar: "I will say to my soul". Again, he is not seeking wise counsel, nor does he have any notions of being generous toward God and others. His concern is summed up in these words: "take your ease". This was his outlook on life. There is no mention of God; nothing about the Lord or living a godly life.
Do you see any similarities in your life? Are you concerned only with what you want, how you will live, or how you will spend your retirement? Are you consumed with pleasure with no thought of God or helping others? If so, please know it will not end well for you, neither in this life nor the next. Surrender your life to Jesus and give Him your all.
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