Tuesday, January 6th
Luke 12:15-21
15 Then He said to them, ``Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions."
16 And He told them a parable, saying, ``The land of a rich man was very productive.
17 ``And he began reasoning to himself, saying, `What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?'
18 ``Then he said, `This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
19 `And I will say to my soul, ``Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry."'
20 ``But God said to him, `You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?'
21 ``So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
In today’s passage, we read about a rich man who made poor use of his days. Incorrectly assuming that his life would last for many years, he left God out of his plans.
Paul, on the other hand, knew his time was short and made the most of his days. His letters from prison illustrate this—despite knowing he would soon face death, Paul devoted his time and energy to instructing and praying for others.
One thing he taught was to do everything as if for the Lord (Colossians 3:23). Paul knew it was important for Christians to realize kingdom work isn’t just for missionaries and pastors; God calls all believers to different fields and assignments.
The apostle also knew that the Christian life encompasses struggles. In addition, he was realistic about acknowledging his own imperfections (Romans 7:5-25). This meant that to make the best use of his time, he needed to persevere, remember God’s promises, and rely on divine power for victory. Indeed, at the end of his life, Paul was able to say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).
Life is a gift. Every one of us has a certain number of days on this earth. How will you utilize your time so you can eventually look back and, like Paul, confidently say you finished well?