Don't Be A Fool

"And He told them a parable, saying, "The land of a certain 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?' "And 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 lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." Luke 12:16-21

In Jesus' parable of the rich fool that Jesus told, recorded in Luke 12:16-21, the man had amassed so much material wealth that he needed to tear down his existing barns and build bigger ones. The he told himself, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come, take your ease, eat, drink and be merry."

In the Cotton Patch Gospel. bu Clarence Jordan, the rich man decides to, "Recline, dine, wine, and shine, fool!"

Borneaux, a French painter, musing about this parable, was so moved over it, he took out a canvas, a pallet, paint and brush and began to paint the scene. He painted a man sitting behind a desk, rather portly in size, several bags of money on the front of his desk. Behind him was a shelf, on which was a small bag, as if for a very special purpose. Outside the window of that man's home was a bumper crop blowing in the afternoon breeze and warm sunshine beating down on it.

Then Borneaux painted the opposite side of the canvas. Same man, same desk, same bags of money, same little treasured bag beside him on the shelf, same crops, same window, but now everything was covered with dust.

The death angel had his hand on the man's shoulder. And the angel's lips were pursed, as if to say, "Fool...fool."

Remember, what the writer said- 'Only one life will soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last!'