DO NOT BE LIKE THE RICH FOOL!

Dearly Beloved, DO NOT BE LIKE THE RICH FOOL! “But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:20-21 NKJV). “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 14:1 NKJV). I had an online chat with somebody recently. The person asked me to prove to her why she needs God after all she has. According to her, “Right now without God as my refuge, I am doing great, I know how to sail through life smoothly... if I am comfortable, why do I need God? What is going to be different?” This lady is like the rich fool in a parable in Luke 12 who forgot to acknowledge his God because of his so-called sufficiency. The rich fool thought he could do without God. How wrong he was! He was taught the lesson of his life as he lost everything he had by first losing his life. Many people feel that they do not need God because of their so-called sufficiency like wealth, position, security, affluence, and the like. Some of such people even deny the existence of God. How foolish they are! The fact that they are self-sufficient does not mean they have control over their lives. No matter how rich, affluent, influential or secure they are, they do not know when they will die, where they will die, what kind of death they will have or what will happen to them after death. They cannot even predict successfully what will happen to them in the next second! Anyone who knows these things can say that he does not need God. In what way are you also behaving like that rich fool? Do you think you can sail through life smoothly without God despite how great you are doing? Jesus Christ said, “...apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 NIV). Only a fool will forget his source (see Psalm 14:1). You may acknowledge God and declare that you need Him. However, do you give Him the right place in your life? No matter who you are, God must be your first priority. Do not be like the rich fool! In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor). Prayer Point: Pray that you will not be like the rich fool, but will always ascribe the honour due unto God.