Use What You Have (The Parable of the Rich Fool)

And he told them this parable: “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.”


-Jesus speaking (Luke 12:16-21)

People love the idea of being rich. They want excess cash so they can stop worrying, take it easy, and as Jesus says "eat, drink, and be merry." They believe having extra in their lives will allow them to do the last thing in the process: be merry (happy). But Jesus here is telling us that we have bigger concerns to worry about than our own temporal comfort, and our riches in this life should be used for eternal purposes. Whatever we have at the end of our lives, no matter how much, will all be useless and wasted if we haven't used it for God and his eternal purpose.


Jesus called the man in this parable a fool. He was foolish because he was apparently clueless about his own mortality and the legacy he would take into Eternity. We are all going to stand before God one day, and how we invest our earthly things (our time, our talents, and our money) will be taken into account. If you stay invested in God's Kingdom in all things, your efforts will never be in vain or wasted. Your riches used for blessing the poor, supporting the church, bringing comfort to the hopeless, and spreading the gospel will all be multiplied unto you when you die and stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ. The bible says of the righteous this: "their works do follow them." It means that everything you do in this life that matters will continue on for Eternity and be blessed forever.


But if you use all of your things for self-enrichment and temporal comfort, you will die in vain and those things will be taken from you and given to others. You only have this ONE life, and when it's gone it is not returning to you. Those who bet their chips on the next life are wise, but they must remember that their beloved treasures will be inventoried by the God of Heaven. Just because you have believed in the next life, doesn't mean it's okay to relax and wait for Jesus to come. You are to be using the talents he has given you to bless others and expand the Kingdom of God.


If you have money in this life, be wise in how you use it. Bless others with it, and don't spend it all on yourself. Be rich toward God, and avoid greed and the bitterness that comes with it. If you are constantly being strategic about your money, making sure that the better part of it is used with purpose and towards God's Kingdom, you will be storing up your riches in Heaven. You will be sure of your eternal rewards and that God will use your money to bless the people he so deeply loves.


If you have little money but many gifts, such as musical ability, make sure you are happily using them to bless the people of God and show your gratitude for what you have. Don't waste your talents or bury them and hope to use them in the next life. God gave them to you for a purpose, and just like the rich farmer wasted the blessing he was given, you will be held accountable if you take your gifts and spend them indulging yourself. You will be considered most foolish, and you will painfully regret the vanity with which you lived life.


Take some time to inventory the way you think. Consider that God has made you rich with gifts, whether it be your money or your talents. Think about the way you use those gifts and consider your mortality. You only have this one life, and the way you use your gifts will determine whether you keep them for eternity and also how you're rewarded for your work. If you are overwhelmed in where to start, take the quote from Arthur Ashe: "Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can."

Past, Present, Future (All Sins Forgiven in Christ

PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE (All Sins Forgiven In Christ)

If you have believed in Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are forgiven of all sins past present and future. There is nothing that you could've done or ever will do that will separate you from the love of Christ. It's imperative that you know that, so you won't be tricked by the devil into fearing hell or the wrath of God, which is already passed over you. If your heart's desire is peace, if your heart's desire is Heaven, and grace, and mercy, believe you will receive it. Rather, you already have received it. "He who hath the son hath life..." (1 John 2:12)

God's promises cannot be broken, and he's not a man that he should lie or change his mind. The day you came to Christ with genuineness and sincerity, asking him to be your Lord and Savior, your sins were washed clean and you will never be called to account for them. It sounds unjust, but it's not because Jesus was designated as the sacrificial lamb to be slain on your behalf. God is the author of justice, and this is how he designed it. It's so that justice and mercy have kissed.

For an example of God's grace, let me present to you the Corinthian church. They were the most unruly, rowdy church mentioned in the New Testament, yet Paul wrote to them about the grace they had received, and lovingly instructed them how to walk in it. He even chose in 1st Corinthians to reveal to them the nature of the rapture, when Christ will come and change us from corruptible to incorruptible. If anyone had reason to doubt their salvation, it would be the Corinthians, as even Paul said it was reported often that there was fornication (sex outside marriage) among them. But Paul writes to them as beloved children in need of discipline, and not foreigners to be judged.

1st John writes to all of us believers as "little children," and tells us that if we say we have no sin, we are liars. But if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us, and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness. Therefore, if you have sinned, even if you keep struggling with the same sin, there is hope for you yet. Confess your sins and you will be forgiven, and your Father in Heaven will deal with you as a beloved child, not as the object of his wrath.

God's Riches

God is rich in all ways, and he gives graciously to those who are faithful. Whether it's mercy, grace, material wealth, or health, he has it all for the asking. If you have these things it's your duty to share them and multiply them for the use of God's Kingdom. If you don't have them, ask and you shall receive, only be a good steward with the things you are given and now have. You cannot expect God to bless you financially if you squander your money on things that are not pleasing to him. You cannot expect God to bless you with good health if you do not take care of your body.

If you are guilty of these things it's never too late to change your ways and receive richly from God all that you need.

John the Baptist told the people in keeping with repentance, let every man that has two cloaks give the one to he who has need. I've seen that exemplified by my Pastor and his family, as we moved out to Liberty and they provided basic needs for our new home. A verse says "there is he that scatters and has more than enough, and there is he that withholds more than is necessary and has poverty." If you have riches of any kind, whether they be talents, money, health, spiritual gifts...see to it that you share them in every way you can, and you will receive more from God's hand.

Furthermore, temptation from the devil recedes when you know that your Heavenly Father is rich and has blessed you with all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus. If you are tempted to take the fast track to receive wealth, an unethical way, know that you can have all you need by good stewardship and prayer. The devil's temptation becomes weak when you realize that all that is God's is yours, as an heir with Christ.

Rejection

Rejection is the scariest word in the bible. Did you know you can be rejected by God? We've all experienced rejection in some form or another, and it can be agonizing. Especially when you see others being accepted by the one who rejected you. Sometimes you're rejected because you did the wrong thing, such as being fired from a job. You have to live with the regret of losing your job while at the same time still being friends with the people you worked with, seeing them keep their jobs because they did the right thing.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is how it will be on the day of Judgment. Many will be rejected by God himself because their deeds were evil, and they refused to come into the light lest their deeds be made known. The bible says that in the lake of fire, those who don't know God will be tormented in the presence of Jesus and the Holy Angels. I don't know about you, but torment seems all the worse knowing I will be able to see Jesus and the Holy Angels enjoying righteousness and fellowship with God, while I suffer unimaginably. This is my motivation for becoming a Christian. I didn't want to pay for my sins, especially when Christ offers free salvation for those who simply believe.

Those who have accepted Christ will in no way be rejected, no matter how faulty they are. If they believe in the Lord and confess with their mouth, they will be saved. The next step is to pray and grow in faith, and to abstain from sin. But those who keep putting Jesus off have no hope to lean on, for tomorrow is promised to none of us. Get with Jesus while he can still be found, so you don't have to suffer rejection. The worst rejection is being told by Jesus "away from me you evil-doer, I never knew you," while hearing him say to others "well done, good and faithful servant." If you live in sin and refuse to open the door of your heart to Jesus, this certainly will be your reality.