A man's life does not consist in the abundance of things he possesses.

As I studied my bible, I was so stunned to see God call someone a fool. A fool? Then I opened my Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary to see its meaning  a person who you think behaves or speaks in a way that lacks intelligence or good judgment. This was actually the case of this rich man in Luke 12:15-21 (Amplified Version):

"And He said to them, Guard yourselves and keep free from all covetousness ( the immoderate desire for wealth, the greedy longing to have more); for a man's life does not consist in and is not derived from possessing overflowing abundance or that which is over and above his needs. He then told them a parable, saying the land of a rich man was fertile and yielded plentifully. And he considered and debated within himself, What shall I do? I have no place [in which] to gather together my harvest. And he said, I will do this: I will pull down my storehouses and build larger ones, and there will store all my grain or produce and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many good things laid up [enough] for many years. Take your ease; eat, drink and enjoy yourself merrily. But God said to him, You fool! This very night they [the messengers of God] will demand your soul of you; and all the things that you have prepared, whose will they be? So it is with the one who continues to lay up and hoard possessions for himself and is not rich [in his relation] to God [this is how he fares].

As I pondered over this verse, I came to understand that God never called this man a fool because he was rich; about to pull down his storehouse and build larger ones; neither because he wanted to store all his grains and produce. Rather, this man was called a fool because he was only working for himself and himself alone. He thought he was blessed by God to store up only for himself and never reach out to others.

Brethren, lets not only read John 3:16 and fail to accept 1 John 3:16. Rather, let's be like Jesus who gave and gave and gave till He gave His life.

"But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" (1 John 3:17)