What is your life plan? I have always believed that life is what it is and there is no set plan or reactions as to the encounters in your life which will challenge you. The strength of your relationship with God will give you the ability to endure what ever life throws at you. Here in this Parable we are introduced to a man who has had a good life and a what he believes to be a good plan for his future. This is a story that Jesus told and  resonated with many people throughout the generations. It is most commonly known as The Parable of The Rich Fool and today we read from Luke 12: 13-21. This parable warns us to take heed of those things remembered and those things forgotten. Remember the phrase all is well with my soul, …is it?

Proverbs 27: 1 Do not boast about tomorrow,for you do not know what a day may bring.

This man in our parable is consumed with himself. Here are a few snip-its from the scripture itself.

-what will I do because I have no room to bestow my fruits?”

-this will I do; I will pull down my barns and build greater and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.”

He then continues on planing on what his life will be like in the days to come. It is as if he is the only one and the cares of the world and other people are of no concern to him. Barclay makes a wonderful observation…the first person singular never occurs in The Lords Prayer. We all have the habit of overlooking the things that are important, the condition of others around us, believing we have time to do those things that matter, he forgot God. The list continues…Who or what we are is not determined by what we have. Having so much he would have to build other barns to keep it all makes one wonder if perhaps he could have shared some of his wealth with his neighbors who were struggling. He felt it more important to take it easy, eat and drink his fill, after all he had earned it. Time, that which God has allotted is not known to us. This guy acted as if he had unlimited time. Some of us never feel comfortable and are aware of time, these two extreme differences are really governed by our faith and relationship with God. We can all say with confidence that our time on this earth is limited. We do not know how many tomorrows we have but many will say tomorrow is another day. As a believer I know who holds my tomorrows, do you? In James chapter 4: 13-17 we find this:

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town and spend a year doing business and making money.” 14 Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. 17 Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, commits sin.

Those who plan and leave God out have left behind the most important thing in their lives. So many of us are obsessed with what we have, our self worth tied to the amount of stuff we have acquired and take no notice of what we have become while acquiring it. It is not my place or really anyone’s to judge another but this I can say with confidence. You will stand before God with nothing you have acquired in this life…you will be judged by the content of your soul.

Life is Good

Jk

The response to this series of Parables has been strong. We will continue in the Parables next week.