Jeanie Martin Ministries

“The Parable of the Rich Fool”

“The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ 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. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”‘ 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 whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God; (Luke 12:16-21).

There are two directions in life that lead to either eternal life or eternal death. You have the choice to choose between life or death. Jesus made it clear that He is the only way to eternal life; (John 14:6).

Beware of Covetousness (Greed)

Jesus taught this parable to the crowd regarding a rich man’s possessions. Which consisted of an abundance of grain and goods. He believed that he did not have enough room in his barns. However, his solution was to build bigger barns to store his surplus grains and goods.

 *Grains are seeds; they can be processed into various other food products. This man had an overflow of blessings but couldn’t see past himself to find a need outside of himself.

1. IDOLS – anything you put above God is an idol. Trusting in anyone other than God is a faith failure. God commands us to love Him. Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength”; (Mark 12:30). He gave us a choice to love Him or not.

For this, you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person, such a person is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God; (Eph. 5:5).

2. TREASURES – Earthly treasures / Things

The things of this world are temporal; therefore, we must place higher values on eternal things. Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin (worms) destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is there your heart will be also; (Matt. 6:19-21).

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry; (Col. 3:5).

• What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? (Matt. 16:26).
• MONEY – The love of money is the root of all evil (every kind of evil); (1^st Tim. 6:10). Your actions will always give you away. The types of people you prefer. The places that you frequent. The need to comfort yourself with more things will be seen on the surface, and this will cause an imbalance in your life. The need to possess “more” can never be satisfied which becomes greed!
• Your actions identify the place where your heart resides. Unfortunately, we’re currently in a culture of greed. We live in a capitalistic society that constantly pushes consumerism. People judge you by your possessions, but God judges you by what’s in your heart.
• SELF- It is possible to focus so intently on your needs that your wants precede everything in your life. If you always have yourself on your mind, you are your own God. The trinity of “Me, Myself, and I” is the wrong trinity.

THE CONDITION OF THE HEART

In the parable, the condition of the man’s heart was exposed. He needed to hold on to his surplus of grains and goods, which revealed his greed. The state of your heart determines which of the two directions you will take, Life or Death. What is the condition of your heart? The soul that sins it shall die. The only hope is salvation through Jesus Christ by trusting in Him for the forgiveness of your sins.

IN CONCLUSION

Paul gave us this insightful statement, “For me to die is gain; (Phil. 1:21). Rid yourself of the dying affections of this world. I will lose everything in this life and call it gain because I have Christ.”

When we commit to following Jesus, we should naturally begin to change for the better. Our priorities are no longer selfish but selfless. How has your life changed since you found your identity in Christ?

Paul testified, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).

Sin will always bring you to a place of dissatisfaction. Don’t lust after things that do not prosper. Give your life to Jesus and let Him make you a new creation. He forgives you, cleanses you, and saves you. Don’t be like the foolish man in the parable. Yield your life to God today! Now is the time of salvation.

Abundant Blessing to you!