“Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15)
Jesus told a parable about a man whose fields had produced much. The harvest was so abundant, that he had no place to store all his crops. He decided to tear down his barns and to build new ones. And then, he thought, nothing could go wrong anymore: ‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry”’ (Luke 12:19). To worldly standards, this man was very successful. But God considered him a fool, because he thought that earthly riches were all he needed. He died that very same night, and could not take his wealth with him. Material things did not count anymore; only his relationship with God was important. But this man had never paid attention to God… Jesus uses this parable as a warning: “So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God”. Material things can make our earthly lives more comfortable, but they can’t save our souls. Therefore, material things lose their value once we die.
In order to enter eternal life, we need to be “rich toward God”. Do you know what that means?