“And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.”-Luke 12:16-19
Rather than focusing on your life, focus on the One who gave you life.
Ralph L. Woods, an ambitious farmer who was unhappy about the yield of his crops, heard of a highly recommended new seed corn. Although the seed was more expensive, he reasoned that it would produce a greater return in the end. He bought the seed and produced a crop that was so abundant that people in town talked of his great yield. His neighbors were so astonished and impressed that they asked him to sell them a few of the new seeds so they too could experience a great crop. But the farmer was afraid that he would lose money because of his neighbors, so he refused to sell the seeds to them.
The second year came and went but the new seed did not produce as good a crop. Puzzled, the farmer could not determine the cause for the decrease in productivity. But when the third-year crop was still worse it dawned upon the farmer that his prize corn was being pollinated by the inferior grade of corn from his neighbors’ fields. Because he had refused to sell them the new corn, his neighbor’s old corn was ruining his prized crop.
Selfishness had caused the downfall of this farmer. Had he been generous, he would have prevented the deterioration of his crops, but his selfishness had caused his demise.
Our verses today tell us the story of one of Christ’s parables. In this story, a rich man finds himself with a bountiful crop. He decides to tear down his barns and build bigger ones to store his increasing number of crops. He relaxes and counts on his crops to last for many years. Sadly, verses 20-21 tell of God’s response to him, “But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Notice that this man never thought to consider that God gave him good soil for his crops. God provided rain to water the crops; God held off the insects and weeds that would have destroyed his crops; and God provided the sun to strengthen his crops. While God deserved the praise for such a good yield, this man was focused solely on his own “accomplishment.”
Have you ever been the same way? Perhaps you received a raise at work, you were able to purchase a new home, or one of your children made a right decision. None of that would have happened had God not sustained, protected, provided for, and blessed you. All the praise and glory goes to God.
Don’t take for granted even the “mundane” blessings. You woke up this morning and had breath to breathe. That’s a miracle! Did you thank God for it? Take time right now to thank God for His blessings on your life. Selfishness is the poison of thankfulness. Never become so self-centered that you forget who gave you life to begin with.-Dr. Paul Chappell
