Scripture: Luke 12:13-21
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
18 “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. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
20 “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?’
21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” (NIV)
Observation:
“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” (Luke 12:15b)
Application:
In the game of Monopoly, when the game ends, all the properties, money, and even the playing pieces are put back into the box. All the material gains you accumulate during the game are returned, and no one keeps anything. Similarly, our lives on earth are not about the material possessions we acquire but about being rich in our relationship with God and our fellow human beings.
Prayer:
Lord God, guide us through the gift of Your Holy Spirit to live generously, sharing with others and honoring You. Help us recognize that every good gift comes from You and that our blessings are not solely for ourselves but to be a blessing to those around us, all to You9r glory. Amen.