When God blesses you with riches it is always with a purpose. Self-aggrandizement, oppression and belittling of others is never a part of that purpose.
True prosperity is not just the ability to amass wealth for oneself, but the ability to utilize God’s blessings for the betterment of the lives of others and positively impacting our environment and community.
Consider the story of this arrogant rich man in Luke 12.
16And he (Jesus) told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ 18“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. 19And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’ 20“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?’ 21“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” Luke 12: 16-21 NIV
1. He gathered up wealth for HIMSELF: It was never a problem that the man was rich. Remember God gives the ability to make wealth. (1 Chr 29:12) It is obvious that this man’s wealth had become his god. The place that belongs to God in his life was replaced with the blessings he had received from God.
2. He extended His storehouse. Piling and not filing is a problem. Piling up riches without any adequate plan of utilizing them for positive impact, is foolishness. He was like those who brag how much they have saved up in their accounts and yet no one in need of support or help around them is ever considered for their assistance.
3. He focused on eating and drinking. To him, life was all about amusement, entertainment, and merrymaking. He had a misplaced goal, a mislaid ambition and intention for acquiring wealth. There is no shortage of people today, with burning ambition to get rich the world over. As noble as that ambition might be, the relevant question we must all answer is, what is our goal for acquiring riches?
4. He had no regard for God and for people. In the vastness, the totality and entirety of his plan, this rich man Jesus speaks of in scripture, excluded God in his agenda and makes no room to accommodate others in his budget. The ultimate and only focus of his agenda was himself.
The tragedy of this story is that he died the very night he concluded plans to commence his egocentric agenda. He exited this earth leaving behind a pile of wealth.
Remember that no matter how rich we get in this world, we came in with nothing and will leave with nothing. Job said “…Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart…” Job 1:21 NIV.
Isn’t it amazing that no matter how rich a man becomes they cannot purchase or add an extra second to their lives? And no matter how much we pile up, we only go in a traditional casket leaving all behind. The challenge we all have to face and the question we must answer to the ONE who blesses us with the ability to make wealth, is “WHAT DID WE DO WITH ALL THE BLESSINGS HE GAVE US?
Today we pray that God may grant us the grace to be good stewards of the riches He has entrusted us with. May your labour for riches never be in vain because of foolishness. May you be a hand of extended grace and blessing to others and may there always be room for God in your plans in Jesus name; Amen.
Scripture:1 John 3:17 “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?”