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Rich Toward God
Author : John Telman
Have you every felt forgotten? Have you felt that if you were gone, no one would notice? I suspect that many of us have had similar thoughts at some time in our lives. The truth is that God has not forgotten anyone. His unmatched knowledge of us and his marvelous love keeps us in view at all times.
Consider the beautiful, tender passage of scripture found in Luke 12. The smallest of details do not go unnoticed by God. Many may be tempted to, in effect, say with their life choices, “Hello, I ' m here. Someone notice me”. God knows. He created each of us and we remain the object of his undying affection.
Though appetites come, danger threatens, and needs of all sorts crave feeding, God remains the same. He is maker, redeemer, friend, provider and a host of more marvelous expressions. The sad fact is that some will go through life focused on things that can never fully satisfy the inner hunger.
Why would anyone take their eyes off God? That is what Jesus deals with in this passage of scripture. He reminds all of us that God has not forgotten anyone (Luke 12:6) and that God has chosen, gladly, to give the kingdom to his people. (Luke 12:32) In other words, all worries, all concern, and all toiling ends when we turn our attention to God in complete trust of who he is. This is what we would call “being rich toward God”.
God has made countless promises to us but more than that, his character gives man calm assurance that all is well. Obviously for some, all is not well. These are people who Jesus spoke of in the parable of the rich man. His many possessions did not make him rich or poor but his lack of God caused him to hoard. Make no mistake, he was poor.
In a blink of an eye, all that was amassed by this man meant nothing. The only thing that counted was who God was to him. He was not rich toward God. He was a wretched man that did not know God. His God of temporal gain was all he worshiped. The story is sad since all the sweat and labor did not amount to anything in the end.
The good news is that we can know God. We can actually know God. If you ' re like me, the thought is overwhelming. Why would God care for you and me? Simply, yet completely, it is because of who he is. He doesn ' t have to try to care. He just does because that is who he is.
Knowing God, believing in him and trusting him results in a life that is free from the cares of life that weigh down others around us. Since God is my financial partner, I don ' t have to hold back anything. It is life in Christ that causes one to give to others. To be rich toward God is to be so wealthy that we can’t count his many blessings and, so, we feel no need to gather things “for a rainy day”.
The greatest treasure that one can possess is a deep intimate relationship with God. This treasure is not hoarded like temporal things because a natural response to relationship with God is to share with others.
What a great arrangement. Imagine! We become rich by just knowing God. In fact God considers those who love him rich in faith. (James 2:5) This is the kind of wealth God offers us.
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