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."