Don’t Be a Fool (2)

“Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee.” Lk 12:20

The ambitious fool. Jesus told the story of a successful farmer who said, “I will pull down my barns, and build greater” (v. 18). Evidently he was a good businessman and planner. But then he said: “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…So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (vv. 19-21).

This man had a plan for time, but none for eternity. He thought about himself, but not God. He paid attention to his body, but not his soul. It’s said that the average body has enough phosphorus to make eight hundred thousand match heads, enough sugar to go into sixty cubes, enough salt to cover twenty spoons, and enough iron to make about ten dollars’ worth of nails. The rest is just dust and water. When you pamper, promote and protect the part of you that will only live seventy or eighty years and neglect the part of you that will live on in either heaven or hell, God says you’re a fool. This man told himself he had “many years,” but God said, “This night thy soul shall be required of thee.” Don’t you realize that an accident, a blocked artery, a stray bullet, a plane with engine failure or a drunk driver could take you out in an instant? Wise up! The question is not will you die, but when? And are you ready to stand before God?

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