Life is not measured by
how much one owns.
—Luke 12:15
Only once God called a man a fool.
He was a rich man. Nothing wrong with that.
So, what was wrong with him? At least three things:
One, he was obtuse about God’s role in his wealth. His mantra was: “My hands have produced this wealth”—unaware that it is God “who gives you the ability to produce wealth” (Dt 8:17–18).
Two, he was self-centered. He’d hit pay dirt with a bumper crop and needed a bigger barn to stash it in. Laying out his strategy, he spouted the personal pronouns “I” and “my” eleven times (Lk 12:18–19); not a syllable about thanking God or helping others.
Three, he didn’t realize that life is time-limited: “[I] have enough stored away for many years,” he boasted. Major mistake! He didn’t have “many years.” God said, “You fool! You will die this very night.”
Be grateful for the gift—
and grateful to the Giver.