BE RICH

PASTOR RYAN LADEN – DEVOTIONALS

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So far in our devotional study of the positive nature of the eighth commandment, we have talked about God’s desire that you and I should seek to become people who are openhanded with others and that we would seek godliness and contentment. Today we dive into a teaching from the Lord Jesus Christ that challenges us to move away from seeking to enrich only ourselves but rather to seek to be people who learn what it means to be rich toward God. 

Let’s listen to this powerful message from the Lord, 

13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 

15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” 

16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’18 “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. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’

20 “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?’ 21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

(Luke 12:13-21 NIV11)

Misplaced

Imagine having a chance to speak with the Messiah, the Savior of your soul, and the only thing that you care to talk about is how unfair life is and how you think that God should be busy making others get you what you desire. 

This man is challenging Jesus to weigh in on his family division brought about by the love of money. These brothers have broken their relationship with one another because of their mutual love of money. Sadly, this is an all too common experience among those who profess to love the Lord with all their hearts. 

Reply

Jesus Christ replied to this request by reminding the man that his dispute over money is the result of misplaced priorities and desires. In Luke 12:15 we hear the Lord say, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”  

Jesus wants this man, and all who will listen, to understand that there is much more to life than seeking after earthly possessions. Jesus calls us to be on our guard, to actively push back on these examples of personal greed rather than allowing them to overwhelm our hearts and damage our relationships with others. 

Parable

Did the man cause his crops to be extra productive? 

– Not at all. The man was given a blessing from the Lord. 

What was the man’s response to this unexpected blessing? 

– To keep it all for himself rather than share his excess with those around him. 

What does the building of a bigger barn tell us about this man’s expectations about his future wealth and success? 

– He set himself up to continue keeping the excess for himself in the years to come, thus locking in his miserly attitude toward others for the remainder of his life. 

Point

Jesus told this parable for a reason. Part of this reason included a call to all who will listen to turn away from the attitude expressed by the barn builder. The man in the parable saw the gift of God as something that he could keep for himself rather than seek to use these blessings to be a blessing to others. 

Jesus challenges you and me to be rich toward God. 

•   What does that mean to you?
•   What are some examples of this kind of response toward wealth and blessings?
•   How can you use the gifts and blessings of the Lord to be a blessing to others around you in your life?
•   How can you share with the Lord a portion of what he has provided for you?

In Christ, 

Ryan Laden

PASTOR RYAN LADEN

Works at MTN. CHURCH

Former Senior pastor at Warnbro Community Church

Studies at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at Baylor University

Studied at Texas Tech University

Went to Castle Hills First Baptist

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