The Parable of the Rich Fool

The rich man was wise and successful by worldly standards. He had enough wealth to keep him comfortable for many years, and building bigger barns would show everyone how very wealthy he was. However, the rich man was a fool by God's standards. He let himself be blinded by his wealth. He never realized that his wealth was a gift from God to be used in God's service. He thought of many things to please himself, but he never thought about sharing his abundant harvest with the poor. He prepared for his material well-being, but he never thought about being spiritually prepared for death and eternal life. He had become greedy and his wealth had become his god.

The lesson is that we must be rich in spiritual things, which are eternal, as opposed to being rich only in material things, which are temporary. Money, itself, is not evil. But greed and preoccupation with wealth can blind us to our duties to God and to other people.

Related Verses

 * Leviticus 19:9-10
 * Psalms 119:36
 * Proverbs 23:4-5, 28:27
 * Isaiah 58:10-11
 * Matthew 6:19-21, 6:24-25, 16:26, 19:24
 * Mark 7:21-23
 * Luke 16:19-31
 * John 6:27
 * Ephesians 5:5
 * 1 Corinthians 6:10
 * 1 Timothy 6:9-11, 6:17-19
 * Hebrews 13:5
 * 1 John 2:15-17, 3:17