AUGUST 13, 2024
In the song “I Gotta be Me,” Sammy Davis Junior sings,
That far-away prize, a world of success
Is waiting for me if I heed the call
I won’t settle down, won’t settle for less
As long as there’s a chance that I can have it all…
I’ll go it alone, that’s how it must be
I can’t be right for somebody else
If I’m not right for me
I gotta be free, I just gotta be free
Daring to try, to do it or die
I gotta be me
Jesus’ parable of the rich fool is a cautionary tale not just about putting trust in personal wealth but putting trust in our self. It is a tale of seeking after a life of self-control rather than one of God-control.
“Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
Luke 12:15-21
How difficult it is, Jesus declares, “for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24b), not because riches are bad, but precisely because riches can lead to self-reliance rather than reliance on God, self-importance and greed rather than humbly living a life within the fellowship of the Church.
Self-reliance is a way Satan uses to destroy the believer, to destroy the Church, to turn them in on themselves; to convince them that real security can only to be found in “me.”
“Look!” the Dark Prince cried. “Come wear the chain and seal. Look…” he repeated pulling a mirror from his tunic. “In this glass lies the hope. Behold your face and live.”
Calvin Miller, The Singer, The Song, and The Finale
Questions for reflection and discussion:
- When have you made a decision that was based on what you wanted rather than what benefitted your family?
- What was the result? What are the signs that someone’s personal desires have become an idol that replaces what God wants for their life?
Church Reading Plan: Jeremiah 41; Psalms 17