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Luke 12:16-21
In this passage, a man has been fortunate in the abundance of the yield of his labor. The man has done nothing wrong or sinful in obtaining his wealth, but it is in his focus on himself and lack of thanksgiving for what God has blessed him with that is sinful. In Luke 12:17-19 the man refers to himself 14 times in giving praise to himself for what he has accomplished without giving thanksgiving to God or even acknowledging God’s blessing on him.
In Luke 12:20-21 is the lesson found in this passage. If one prepares all his earthly abundance for himself only and dies today, then what good has come from all the man’s labors? The man has done great things for himself on this earth, but if he has not put his trust and faith in the LORD he will be condemned for eternity (Matthew 6:33).
This is an example of the sin of putting one’s faith in himself and the things of this world. It weighs nothing for our eternal destination.
This is an example of the blindness that Satan puts on us in his attempt to keep us from seeking a relationship with our Creator God, who alone has the power to save us through the gift found in His Son Jesus.
There is nothing wrong with earning a successful living and the wealth that can be obtained through a successful career. But we need to give thanks to God for the blessings that He gives us in our abilities to accomplish the things that we do in this world. We need to realize and understand that God blesses us with our success in that we can use that gift to bring glory to Him.
This is a great example of learning the Bible in its proper context; in Matthew 19:23-24 we learn that it is impossible for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. However, in Matthew 19:26 we learn the rest of the story; that with man (in and of himself) this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. The point here is to not put our faith in riches, but in the One who has given us the riches; our Creator God. No matter how much money we save or how many things we gather for ourselves, the money that we save or the things that we gather will not earn our way into eternal life in heaven. It is only through salvation in Jesus that we can be accepted into God’s eternal kingdom and live in heaven. Jesus states it clearly in John 14:6 that He is the way, the truth, and the life. And that no one can come to our Father in heaven except through Him. He died for our sins to redeem us back to our Creator God in heaven; something that, because of the sinful nature that lives in each of us, we cannot do or accomplish on our own. That’s why Jesus came to live with us on earth, so that He could die sinlessly for us so we can live with Him in heaven.
Satan wants us to believe that we can accomplish this on our own, but Satan is the father of all lies (John 8:42-47) and everything that comes from him is a lie. Jesus is the truth (John 14:6) and the resurrected life that those who believe in Him will receive (John 1:12-13; 3:16-17; 8:12; 10:9; 11:25-26; 15:1-10). We must put our faith, trust, and hope in the Lord and seek a life that is grounded in Him. This is how we get to heaven; there is no other way (John 14:6).
Dear Lord,
Please help us to discern the difference between having wealth and putting our focus on wealth as a means to salvation, which is a lie from Satan. Help us to see the light of Christ Jesus as our only means of salvation and eternal life in heaven with You, our Creator who desires to have us all redeemed back to You and out of the sinful nature in which we live. You sent Your one and only Son to die on the cross in paying our price to sin. Please help us to see the gift of life that only Jesus can offer to us, so that we would accept the gift of salvation and eternal life and bring glory to You. In Jesus name I pray, amen.