Oct 1, 2017
The Tragedy of a Wasted Life
Luke 12:15:21
15 Then He said to them, "Beware,
and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an
abundance does his life consist of his possessions." 16 And He told them a
parable, saying, "The land of a rich man was very productive. 17 "And
he began reasoning to himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no place
to store my crops?' 18 "Then he said, 'This is
what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I
will store all my grain and my goods. 19 'And I will say to my soul,
"Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease,
eat, drink and be merry."' 20 "But God said to him, 'You fool! This
very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have
prepared?' 21 "So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is
not rich toward God."
Death is inevitable, but at times it
surprises us. Perhaps you know someone who died unexpectedly.
Today's parable is a warning about such
situations. It tells of a man who acquired comfort and wealth but thought only
of his time on earth. Death came without warning, and he could take nothing
with him. God called him a fool for living focused on "self."
Though rich in the world's eyes, the
man had no relationship with God and hadn't invested anything in Christ's
kingdom. All the treasures he stored here were worthless once he died. What's
worse, without Jesus, he would be separated from God forever. What a tragic
waste of life.
As I think about this person's choices,
two questions come to mind that are important for all of us to contemplate.
First, if you were to die today, would you go to heaven? Salvation is a free
gift for those who trust in Jesus as the acceptable sacrifice for our sin. He
is the only way--no excuses or even sincere beliefs in other "ways"
will work. And Jesus promises that when believers die, they immediately find
themselves in His presence (2 Cor. 5:6).
Second, what is your life
accomplishing? Are you driven by selfish purposes, storing security and wealth
for yourself? Or is your motivation to further God's kingdom?
Like the man in this parable, we don't
know when we will die. We do know, however, that death is inescapable. Though
dying is an unpleasant topic, eternity is a long time and worthy of our
attention. It's definitely a wise investment to make sure of your salvation and
to invest in God's kingdom.