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What does Jesus say about wealth in the parables of the rich fool (Luke 12:13-21) and the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)? How can you apply this teaching to your life?
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11 Replies
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Those that store up riches for himself are not wealthy in the eyes of God. You must focus on God and his word while here on earth and less on selfish desires.
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He points out the folly of the rich man who was not rich towards God. In being self-reliant, greedy and over-ambitious to expand his wealth, he forgot that his life was brief and he had to account to God when he dies. Jesus also told the story of a rich man and a poor man Lazarus to warn that our fortunes on earth may be reversed in heaven. The implication is that the rich man could have done good and shown mercy because he had the means in this life, but he chose to indulge himself only. The common point in these stories is that this life on earth is brief and uncertain, but it is vital in determining the fate of our life after death. The part of man is to fear God and do good (reminiscent of the ending of the book of Ecclesiastes). These stories are also a warning against greed and an exhortation towards compassion. It is often the greedy who cannot open his heart to the needy, even though he himself may be rich enough to give.
#Luke
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The two most important commandments are you shall love God and have no other gods and in today’s world money is considered a god and therefore you should not be placing the value of money over God. The second most important commandment it to love your neighbor. These two commandments tell me that I am to put God first in my life and He will show me the way and by doing so I am to be willingly able to give to others and God will provide for me. I know that in today’s world you have to have a budget and provide for everyday life but by putting God first and praying that He show you the way then you do not have to be so concerned on the how am I going to pay this or that but God will work everything out in His time.
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That in the end, your treasures that you worked so hard to save up, will be someone else’s and you will be dead. So, don’t put your focus on wealth, in fact be on guard against greed for wealth.
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Richness does not give us true happiness. While we need earthly riches to sustain ourselves while on earth, it is how we also use these riches for the glory of God that matters.