How do you measure success? For many, it comes down to money and possessions. The more you have, the more accomplished you must be. But Jesus teaches a radical alternative: true success is not what you own, but who you become – rich toward God.
Listen now as he unearths the fatal flaw at the heart of materialism and offers eternal riches in its place.
- Be on guard against greed. Jesus tells people to “take care and be on your guard against all covetousness.” Greed looks like ambition, drive, and planning, but we must discern it.
- Life is about God, not possessions. Jesus tells the parable of the rich fool to illustrate that our life does not consist in the abundance of possessions. The rich man’s plan focused on himself and failed to consider God.
- We should live for eternity, not just the present. Jesus calls the rich man a fool because he lived for the “dot” of the present time rather than the “line” of eternity. True riches come from being “rich toward God.”
- Our relationship with money reveals our priorities. Does money control us or does God? Are we living to store up treasure for ourselves or for God’s kingdom?
- The gospel gives us true riches in Christ. Though we may have little money in this life, we can be rich in what matters most – our relationship with God through Jesus.
The rich man in Jesus’ parable made a fatal mistake – he lived for the dot of the present, not the line of eternity. But you do not have to follow in his footsteps. Though you may struggle with greed and materialism, the gospel offers you true and lasting riches – an eternal inheritance secured by Christ.
Will you reorient your desires around God rather than gifts? Will you begin to store up treasure in heaven rather than on earth?
The choice is yours. Live for the line, not the dot. Be rich toward God, and you will discover that which truly satisfies.