Like many farmers he was dependent upon God every year for his harvest. The Lord had been good to him. While others needed only one barn for their farm, he had more than one. The year he had dreamed of finally came when there was a bumper crop. His barns were not able to store the harvest, so he made plans to tear all of them down and build enough barns to hold all that he had.
Life was so good, apparently. His response to all of this was to say, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink and be merry” (Luke 12:19). He could see his future. There would be no need to work hard for the next several years. He had all that he needed.
Life was so terrible, actually. God saw this matter so differently. God did not see him as a success, nor as one who planned for the future. God said, “Fool! This night your soul will be required of you” (Luke 12:20). The fact that we are forbidden to ever call another man a fool shows how great God’s contempt of him was. The world saw him as a astute, successful business man. God saw him as a fool!
Life is so fragile, truthfully. The truth is that today may well be the last day any reader of these words has on this earth. While we may verbally acknowledge this, it rarely is part of the way we look at life. If you knew today were your last day, are there things you might do? Are there words you might want to say to others? Are there conflicts with others you might want to resolve? Are there words of encouragement you might want to give to others? Are there people you might want to tell them again just how much you love and appreciate them? Living each day as though it might be our last day helps us make better choices, truthfully.
Life is so enlightening, finally. Perhaps it is not life, but it is our approaching death which actually opens our eyes. The bumper crop and new barns mean nothing when the end comes. The Lord’s question should open our eyes, lest He see us as fools. “Then whose will those things be which you have provided?” As you think about the end of your life, consider what will happen to all you have accumulated.
Can I suggest something you seriously consider? Our culture allows us to use legal means to help answer the Lord’s question. Have you ever considered that, provided your surviving loves one have their needs met, you remember the work of the Lord in your will? You have worked hard and perhaps have a house and savings. What better thing could you do than to take some of God’s blessings and give them back to Him?
Whose then will these things be? Take time to understand life, death and things.