Jesus told a story about a rich man who thought he could store up all his wealth, eat, drink and be merry, only to find that his number was up. At the end, Jesus sums it up in a moral – which it is highly tempting to apply to quite a few people in our national life:
“So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich towards God.”
What does it mean to be rich towards God? And why would we need to be rich towards the Maker of all worlds, the One who has everything? What does God need from us? Nothing… But God wants our love, our lives, our trust, our willingness to receive God’s gifts without trying to repay them. God desires our presence in relationship, to love and be loved.
The man in the parable thinks he can buy everything he needs. But when his life suddenly ends, he finds out that in his greed he’d lost out on the one commodity that lasts for an eternity – love. He’d invested in the wrong places.
When we’re concerned with storing up treasure for ourselves, that’s where our focus is. When we’re storing up treasure in heaven, that’s where our focus is. A God-ward focus inevitably leads our attention to the most vulnerable of God’s children, because God’s concerns become ours. Being rich toward God means blessing God’s beloveds.
Sometimes we do it backward, giving to people in need and just “checking in” with God on occasion. That’s well and good – but it means we’re always in control of the giving, and we’re not growing with God. Something amazing happens when we let God be the focus; then our giving to others feels just right, even when it’s more than we ever imagined we could give.
How might you make God more the focus your time, your energy, your emotional life? Where do you feel the Spirit nudging you to share your wealth? Everyone has to find their own way – all I can do is tell you that our destination is Love. And that is the one thing money just can’t buy.
What does it mean to be rich towards God? And why would we need to be rich towards the Maker of all worlds, the One who has everything? What does God need from us? Nothing… But God wants our love, our lives, our trust, our willingness to receive God’s gifts without trying to repay them. God desires our presence in relationship, to love and be loved.
The man in the parable thinks he can buy everything he needs. But when his life suddenly ends, he finds out that in his greed he’d lost out on the one commodity that lasts for an eternity – love. He’d invested in the wrong places.
When we’re concerned with storing up treasure for ourselves, that’s where our focus is. When we’re storing up treasure in heaven, that’s where our focus is. A God-ward focus inevitably leads our attention to the most vulnerable of God’s children, because God’s concerns become ours. Being rich toward God means blessing God’s beloveds.
Sometimes we do it backward, giving to people in need and just “checking in” with God on occasion. That’s well and good – but it means we’re always in control of the giving, and we’re not growing with God. Something amazing happens when we let God be the focus; then our giving to others feels just right, even when it’s more than we ever imagined we could give.
How might you make God more the focus your time, your energy, your emotional life? Where do you feel the Spirit nudging you to share your wealth? Everyone has to find their own way – all I can do is tell you that our destination is Love. And that is the one thing money just can’t buy.
To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Next Sunday’s readings are here. WaterDaily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
No comments:
Post a Comment