Luke 12
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Luke 12:16-21:
“And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: and he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God |
This passage can leave people scratching their heads. What did this fellow do that was so wrong?
The man worked hard, resulting in much success. He had warehouses of merchandise. He had enough wealth that he could retire. Finally, he can kick back and put his feet up. It sounds as if this guy is living the life most every American wants to live. However, something is missing. In the perspective of the world’s standards, this man has achieved the goal, but in the mindset of God, he is nothing more than a fool. There is no indication the man said, “There is no God.” Then again, there is no indication the man was of any religion or faith. We do not see this man as antagonistic toward God. He is simply living his life, bringing home the bacon, and looking forward to retirement. The problem is — God is not in his thought process. He may not say or even believe that there is no God, but he lives as if God does not exist. God has blessed the man with bumper crops. God did this by providing the man with good seed, fertile ground, the right mixture of rain and sunshine. God has provided the necessary equipment. God kept the man in good health so he could work the fields and run the business. The man can give thanksgiving to God for so much, but we read of nothing of the sort. We can almost see this man smiling on the way to the bank, yet we do not hear the phrase, “Thank you, Lord!” There is no mention of prayer. When the crops needed rain, when the harvest required additional workers, and at other hard times, we do not read about this man kneeling before God. There is no mention of any sins in this man’s life. We know he was a sinner; we all are, but we do not read of him committing adultery, being a thief, or of any other type of wrongdoing. Overall, he was probably your average Joe that did well for himself. Again, the problem was — God was not in his thought process. Instead of praying without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) or even praying first, prayer, at best, was an afterthought. When all other avenues were exhausted, we might as well pray. When choices arose, God was not in the thought process when making a decision. - Timothy Johnson |
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Luke 12:25:
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? |
When worry takes over our lives, we often are unable to think straight, our minds get muddled. As we become concerned about something that is happening, we can still stay focused and open to acknowledging the things we are able to do to help, including prayer and to focus on God’s healing and comforting Scripture.
“Cast all your cares (anxiety) upon the Lord, for he cares for you,” is a well-known verse from 1 Peter 5:7. Peter shows us the comfort that comes from God when we are upset. The Bible also tells us that when we worry, we are in a place where we are doubting the goodness of God in our lives. Do you think God is not concerned about problems? Do you think that God wants you to continue fearing for the future? This is just not true, for we find the words, “fear not,” written in prelude to God’s goodness 365 times in our Bibles. - Rev. Kathy Brumbaugh |
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