Rich Towards God
As a first-generation immigrant, the first thing I was taught was to work to make a life for myself. At the age of 15, I rode my NEXT bike down the sidewalks of Lee’s Summit, MO, begging Burger King and Sonic Drive-in to hire me so I could buy the newest Walkman/CD from Best Buy. I was desperate. Eventually, I got a job, and at the age of 17 I raised my first $1,000 dollars. Little did I know this is the way of the world, and I would be doing this the rest of my life.
We get jobs to afford our living situations, which is what we should do (1 Timothy 5:8), but as the scripture shows us, we have a tendency to always want more, to never feel like we have enough. So, we get jobs, we get promotions, and we get more money for more stuff, and this is how we’re introduced to a parable in Luke 12.
Luke 12:17-18 says, “17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.”
This man had gained wealth by his land and he started talking to himself about the best problem we think a man can have, “I have too much stuff! I need a bigger garage!” It’s interesting to note that this man was justifying his actions before himself, but never before the Lord (Luke 16:15). We aren’t told how much he had, but we are told he had plenty, so it’s easy to consider myself in countless situations where I’ve had the same heart attitude. “I have a little extra, so why not get more things.” This is something to work through individually, but some questions that must be answered are, “Does the Lord care about how rich we are? Does our God in heaven care about our salaries, and promotions, and goods?” These might seem like silly questions, but I believe this man never went to God because he didn’t consider his life before the Lord.
The answer to these silly questions can be found in Psalm 50:12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.” This verse is a reminder to us that the Lord is the owner of all. For by Him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth! Our God is rich! And so of course the wealth of man means very little to Him. At times, we judge ourselves by our possessions, but God won’t, as He is the possessor of all.
Luke 12:15 says, “15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.”
This verse is saying we should not view ourselves by the dollar sign attached to our name or the material things around us, because this is the heart of covetousness. We see this man, who started postulating about his possessions, fell into this trap. His mindset and heart started revolving around the stuff he had, versus who he was in relation to God, and this is truly God’s issue.
Luke 12:20-21 “But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God.”
In these verses we see God’s heart, the Lord first directs this man to consider his finite life in this world (James 4:13-14), and then points to the fact that all the stuff he gained will be lost when he dies. So, in this, we get our answer to what the Lord cares about. The Lord cares about our attention to be off of our stuff and our intentions to be focused on him.
Matthew 16:24-26 shows us how we can be rich towards God and it is by not saving our lives and hoarding possessions, but instead by losing our lives for His sake. For what do we profit if we gain the whole world, but do not gain Him?
Philippians 3:7-8 says “7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,”.
In this verse Paul reminds us of what the priority is, and it is Jesus Christ and His kingdom. So, whether a Sonic Drive-in Carhop, a mechanical engineer, a college student, or any position I get put in, I’m reminded that, in humility, I must always remember God cares for me and will take care of me better than I could ever take care of myself. He owns the cattle upon a thousand hills and I can definitely belt out a “MOO”, because he owns me too. Finances and possessions are a way to show our stewardship of the blessings God has provided but were never meant to be the focus of our lives. Every financial, career, and substantive decision we make should always be brought to Him, as He cares more for our intentions towards Him than the stuff that will one day burn. In this, we will grow to trust Him and be rich towards the Father, who gave it all.
Alvaro Briones is a leader in the College and Young Adults ministry at Midtown Baptist Temple in Kansas City, MO.
