Rich Toward God

Worldly riches are far less important than being rich toward God.

“I will say to myself, ‘You have many goods stored up for many years to come; relax, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself!’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is demanded of you.’”—Luke 12:19–20 NASB

James Hyde was only 23 years old when his father died in 1899. Although James was just a recent graduate from Harvard, when he inherited an investment fund of hundreds of millions of dollars, he instantly was among the world’s most powerful men.

James set out to live a life of ease and luxury. As author Patricia Beard describes, he owned houses in New York and Paris, a private railroad car, and a 400-acre estate. He loved parties and “enlarged his dining room to seat one hundred,” holding more informal dinners in the stables, “where a staff of eighty attended the horses and carriage collection.”

But James later admitted, “I got too much power when I was young.” Gradually, his empire crumbled, and today his story is just a footnote to history.

Jesus told the story of a similar man who spent his life pursuing short-term pleasures, unconcerned about eternity. As this man faced death, God called him a “fool” and asked, “As for all that you have prepared, who will own it now?” Jesus warned that this is the fate of everyone who “stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich in relation to God” (v. 21).

Jesus reminded us not to store up “treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.” Instead, we must invest our lives in winning souls and furthering God’s Kingdom (Matthew 6:19–20).

Reflection Question: How will you invest in God’s Kingdom today?