One Day

Have you ever thought to yourself, “One day, after I take care of a few things, I will really dedicate myself to living for God?” Planning for the future is important. Planning for your economic future is also important, but it can’t take the place of spending time with God. Jesus told a parable about someone who did this very thing.

Retire Rich

Luke 12:16-21 (NASB)

And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ 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. 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.”’ 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? So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

This man had worked hard and done a great job making money; he was very successful. He probably sacrificed many things over the years – maybe his family, his friends, and definitely his relationship with God. Now, he figured, he could relax and finally do the things he always wanted to do; “one day” had finally arrived!
God actually called him a fool, because he had sacrificed what was important for something that doesn’t really matter. This man wanted to make sure that he had a large amount of money saved up, so he could retire rich. He lost sight of what is truly important – our relationships with God and other people.
Throughout the gospels, we see how Jesus downplays money and possessions. Paul even says that money is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Tim 6:10). Jesus continues in the next verses.

Don’t Worry

Luke 12:22-23 (NASB)

And He said to His disciples, “For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.”

When Jesus was on this earth, He always completely trusted that His Father would provide for His needs. Sometimes, people would give money to Jesus and His disciples, for their ministry. Other times, God would perform a miracle, like when He multiplied the fish and loaves of bread. Jesus wanted His disciples to learn how to trust God.
Always remember, though, there is a difference between trusting God and laziness. Later, Jesus sums this up.

Treasure

Luke 12:34 (NASB)

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Think about what you are building today. Are you focused just on this life, having plenty of money and enjoying things right now, or are you spending time with Jesus in prayer and worship, enjoying His presence? Everything in this life will pass away, including us.

Eternity is forever.
Don’t wait for “one day”; one day is today.