Rich Toward God

Luke 12:13-21, Colossians 3:1-11

In Luke 12 Jesus tells the man, wanting to get his equal share of inheritance, that life does not consist in the abundance of possessions. He then goes on to tell a story of a man who accumulates great physical wealth and thinks he has it made. He has put his trust in material things and not in God. So, God gets the last laugh since the man dies and leaves it all behind.

So, what is it we can take with us? How do we become rich toward God?

Colossians 3 tells us to seek the things above, not possessions on earth. To do so we need to strip off the old sinful self and its practices and cloth ourselves with the new self which is being renewed in the image of our creator.

We have been made in the image of God, but sin – many that are listed in our passage, has marred out image. But by seeking the things above we can be renewed to the image of God. Paul tells us of the earthly things we need to get rid of. (I’m sure envy and jealousy are included.) One thing listed is greed which is explained as idolatry. This is the earthly sin of worshipping the creation and not the creator. So, worshipping your expensive home, fancy car, boat, designer clothes, or whatever, Jesus tells us will not last. In Matthew 6 Jesus says “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth where moths and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven…for where your treasure is, there your heart will be elsewhere.”

So, what will last? – the traits of the New Self conformed to how Jesus taught us how to live – loving God and your neighbor as yourself. This love includes living the fruits of the spirit – the clothing of the new self which renews our image to conform more to the image of God. May we do so. Amen.

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