The Parable of the Rich Fool

The Parable of the Rich Fool found in Luke 12:16-21 is a warning about the deceitfulness of wealth. The man in the story prospered greatly, so he decided to tear down his barns and build bigger barns to store his new found wealth. God was not pleased with the man's actions.

But God said to him, "You Fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?"
This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.

The rich fool was not judged because he was rich. He was judged because he was poor. His poverty toward God was evident to Jesus by the way he handled his finances. Our spiritual life is jugded by the way we handle our finances as well. Too often we get caught up in the trap of working, spending, and saving until all our energy is used up in securing a material future for ourselves. These outward actions reaveal a deeper spiritual issue. It shows how little we trust God for our future and our finances.

Lack of trust leads us to anxiously pursue wealth and security while neglecting the more important things in life. Deceitful as it is, wealth seeks to convince us that we never have enough. It can cause us to continually tear down our barns to build bigger ones just like the man in the parable. If we let it, the pursuit of wealth can consume our lives, leaving no room to serve God.

Trusting God is the higher path. Despite what tomorrow may look like if we trust God we can be content today if all we have is "our daily bread". It frees our energy to pursue godliness, becoming richer toward God each day. Trusting him puts God in a position to bless us with material wealth. He sees that we are not likly to use his blessings to build bigger barns but rather put the money toward much more valuable things.

Trusting God is one of the most wonderful and difficult tasks we will ever seek to accomplish. It takes a turning back to childlike faith to let go of our deep rooted fears and grab onto God's precious promises. It is worth seeking with more energy than we ever put into attaining material wealth. Heeding the warning found in the parable of the rich fool will bring about the richest life we could ever imagine.