The Rest of Your Life
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:20-21
Several years ago, I was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. The diagnosis came on the road during business travel. I flew home and met with my doctor, who told me he was going to try to get me to the best facility to treat this type of cancer.
I had young children, and I was understandably concerned about the future and whether or not I would be there for them. A cancer diagnosis does that to you. So, I asked my doctor, “How long do I have to live?” and he gave me a great answer. He said, “You’ve got the rest of your life to live.”
Isn’t that all any of us has? None of us knows when our lives on this earth will end. In the passage above, Jesus reprimands the rich fool who claims, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” (Vs. 19).
Jesus reprimands him for focusing on himself and his accomplishments rather than being rich toward God. To be rich toward God means to have an “eternal” perspective, understanding that there is more to life than our personal enjoyment in the here and now. We are to focus our energies and our resources (time, energy, and money) on the things God cares about.
And what does God care about? He wants us to love him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love our neighbor as ourselves.
You have the rest of your life to live. Where is your focus? Is it on pleasing yourself or on pursuing God?
Having begun as a guest speaker in 2005, Dan was appointed Interim Pastor in 2008 and has been serving Maple Root Baptist ever since. As a small group leader and Chaplin for the Connecticut Tigers, Dan has a heart for the lost and the God that saves them.