Rich Toward God

“So is he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:21 (NKJV)

Jesus tells a sobering parable about a man whose land produced more than he ever imagined. His barns were full. His closets were full. His plans were full. But his heart was empty of God. Everything in his conversation was about bigger barns, bigger plans, more security. Not once did he pause to ask the Lord what to do with the blessing. Not once did he acknowledge where it came from. He planned his future as if his soul belonged to him.

You can almost hear the confidence in his voice. I am set. I am safe. I can relax now. Eat, drink, and enjoy life. But then another voice enters the story. God speaks. And in a single moment, everything changes. “Your soul is required of you tonight. Then whose will all these things be?”

Jesus is not rebuking work, success, or provision. He is exposing a life that is rich in possessions but poor in eternity. A life that was planned without God and dreamed without God. A life that enjoyed the gifts but forgot the Giver.

What does it mean for you to be rich toward God? It means your highest priority is not accumulation but obedience. It means you hold everything with open hands. Your time, resources, influence, and future are surrendered to His purposes. Loving the widow. Helping the poor. Serving faithfully. Advancing the gospel while living with eternity in view.

Jesus reminds us that life does not consist in the abundance of things. You can have everything the world applauds and still feel empty inside. Fame cannot fill you. Money cannot heal your soul. Success cannot save you. Only Jesus can do that. He is the pearl of great price. 

When you seek first the kingdom of God, your life finds its true order. 

Blessings become tools instead of idols. Success becomes stewardship instead of security. You stop living for bigger barns and start living for eternal impact.

One second after this life ends, what you achieved in the natural will not matter nearly as much as who you trusted and how you lived for Him. Choose today to be rich toward God. Put Him first. Everything else finds its place when He is in His.

Prayer: Lord, search my heart. I do not want to plan without You or dream without You. Help me to hold every blessing loosely and to value eternity more than temporary gain. Teach me to be rich toward You, to live surrendered, generous, and obedient. Let my life reflect that Jesus is my greatest treasure. Amen.

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