Being Rich

  What if you won the lottery tomorrow.  You'd be rich, right?  (I know, I know... you'd have to pay all those taxes.  No one feels sorry for people who, after they pay a lot of taxes, are still rich.)  Well, you'd be rich in money, anyway.  Your money could buy you all sorts of things.  You could buy big, shiny things, like a car or boat or house.  You could buy small, shiny things, like a new phone or computer.  You'd be rich.

  Well, imagine you weren't monetarily rich.  But let's say that you have a wealth of great relationships.  Let's say you have family that loves and supports you, celebrating with you when life was going well and walking closely alongside you when it wasn't.  Let's imagine that people touched base and really listened to you when you spoke.  Let's say you are surrounded by people whom you love and who love you in return.  You'd be rich in another way, right?

  Maybe you're an idea person.  Perhaps you can't stop coming up with new ideas about how things might be done differently, about how one thing might be improved and another might be overhauled.  Maybe your life is filled with notebooks overflowing with sketches and reminders of a new idea, and you may even struggle to concentrate on one idea because there are simply too many to manage.  You'd be rich in ideas, right?

  In Luke 12, we're told that we should strive to be rich toward God.  What does that mean?

  We know that this is the only wealth that will stand the test of time.  Every other form of wealth will fade away, but wealth toward God will last forever.  It's certainly the most important wealth we can ever hope to possess, and it guides how we use all other forms of wealth.

  But what is it?  How do we get it?

  More on that Friday...