It’s All in Your Mind

His Word regarding the needs supplied and the total philosophy we have of looking toward the future and our needs at that time. The rich man in this parable had a problem. His farm was producing more than he could use or store. This caused him to be restless and unhappy. We are told that he cried, "I have not room to bestow my fruits." Therefore, we assume that his surplus was of the ground or of the tree. How was he going to keep this surplus? Did he have cold storage? Was it just grain? Could he dry it? No, I rather think we see his selfishness. He does not mention sharing it. But he decides to rebuild his barns and make them larger. Somehow he has today•s philosophy, bigger and larger are better. So he made his plans. If he could carry out his plan, and keep his goods, they would probably rot. In verse nineteen, the rich fool says, "&al, tlwa had ,m,uh (Jb8dt I.aid up, l"'- mu.J 'I.IJ , (flD.ll; l.o.ltt llti.,u en.J.14 ml, ~ and In 111£1¥9,." I would remind you that he was not irreligious. He believed in the soul; he believed that in his being apart from his body there was that which was immortal. .Now, we know in the parable that God called him a fool. True, this is an excellent evangelistic text, but this is not where the parable stops. The parable has just begun. Verse twenty-one says, " & it he dud. lmµJ.h up, UllLJ .1.1.ll '8,- hi.nuJ/. .. » Here we have the definition of a fool. A fool is a person who believes in a soul, but lays up for himself treasures on earth while he is alive in his body. Is it possible that believers in Jesus Christ could be fools? But there is a second phrase in _verse twenty-one, ". ..wul. u. niJ.l ,iJ,. wmn.,d -<;},t,d." In other words, a person who is rich toward God is not a fool. Although a parable is an earthly account with a spiritual, heavenly meaning, and although this parable beautifully tells about the soul. eternity and Christ's ability to save, I believe it also teaches about the disciples, or any believer, and their concern for material things. For verse twenty-two says, "dlnd he .udd I.I.Ith,. /tu dueip/n" (those who left their businesses, their tables, and I assume a major part of their time with their families). Our Lord is going to teach them something about being rich toward God and also something about an amdous mind. He now gives them four arguments or illustrations, or possibly a foundational thought and three illustrations. Bear in mind that Luke's account is not in the Sermon on the Mount, although it sounds just like part of that sermon we find in Matthew. It would seem that Christ had to teach some things twice. The parable sounds strangely like Matthew 6:33, "(]1111 .JH.k tµ, /int iJu. kin.tµ {.om. o/. .(J.o.d 7 and hu. ~ and all tlttn. thin.g,.,i JuJl. h ml.d.nl aniJJ. ,µ,a." Here in Luke 12:22, he says, "Q'alu 11.b tJ«,.w,,J,1..." Now we can hear ourselves saying, "We just can't live that way today. We have to think." Do we? When I was first teaching this lesson, a very intelligent Christian lady came to see me. She wanted some counsel regarding her relationship with her husband.. As we chatted, she told me was that her husband thought that if she had one dress, that was enough. She mentioned how he would argue and yell when she asked for money to buy new clothes. She said she decided one day just to talk with the Lord about her need. So she simply told the Lord of her need for clothing. Well, of course, you know what happened. As I looked at her sitting across the desk from me, she was beautifully dressed. God answered that clothing 26