Rich Toward God

"But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." Luke 12:20-21 (KJV)

There are many scriptures cautioning the rich and covetous about salvation and the near impossibility of gaining it. It doesn't sound like Jesus is sharing this parable to say material items themselves are bad but to warn against having an all-encompassing focus on acquiring physical wealth when our focus should be on spiritual matters that glorify and draw the world to the Kingdom of God. So, how can we do that? How can we be rich toward God? 1Timothy 6:17-18 says, "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they are not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they are rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate." I'm hearing that we are to put our trust in the living God who gave generously so we can give generously of our wealth if we have the means, in our deeds, and in our relationships. We can make giving of ourselves a priority and so fulfill the command to love our neighbor as ourselves. Our love for Christ is shown in our actions, not our worldly accumulations. Serve God by serving others - that is my motto. It reminds me every day that I have a welcome duty, a great privilege, as a child of God to help those in need. We can pray and we can provide - in one way or another. Isn't that wonderful? :)