So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ‘ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:18-21)

A Sad And Wasted Life

Death is the testimony of how a life is lived. There is no partiality with death. The popularity of a person does not change the reality of dying. Whether a person is rich or poor will not prolong life. Pleasures of life end in death. All of the trinkets and toys gathered through a lifetime of hard labor are left behind for others to divide. The names of the dead vanish on the pages of days gone by. There is little memory of the person. Death is the reality that exposes a sad and wasted life for those who did not believe they would die.

When a man dies, the questions asked are how he died and what he left. A sad and wasted life is the story of those who live full lives of fun and frolic, enjoying the pleasures of alcohol, drugs, sexual pleasures, and popularity. Some realize the futility of drugs and alcohol and turn their lives around as former addicts. They are treated as role models of the power to overcome addictions. Their lives are empty and without purpose, having wasted the seeds of youth in a life of destruction. Outside, they look happy. Inside, they are sad.

The worth of a man at death is a curious question. How much did he leave when he died? Hundreds of millions of dollars? The reality is that no matter what he was worth when he died, he left all of his mansions, cars, clothes, awards, fame, and money – all of it. He is laid to rest in an expensive coffin, with thousands mourning his death. And then he is slowly forgotten and remembered only as a name. The greater tragedy is not found in those who stand around his coffin weeping but in the tears of the horror of the man who has died.

Jesus tells the story of a man who had everything in life. He was blessed by God. His wealth increased so much that he built bigger barns to store all his stuff. He hired an architect to draw up his barns and employed the contractors to build his edifice. As he gazes at the beauty of his newly constructed barn full of all his worldly possessions, he feels a tug on his chest. In a moment of terror, clutching his heart in searing pain, he feels the blackness of death surrounding him. His hands reach out to the barn, but they fall to his side. The rich man falls to the ground dead.

The rich man lived a sad and wasted life. He was a successful and blessed man to his friends above most men. They looked at his great wealth with a sense of envy for the incredible riches he owned. It only took one night to change that. The friends of the rich man heard he died. Now, the riches the man was so intent on keeping for himself became the object of covetous hearts seeking the inheritance. It took only a short time for his wealth to be gone. Jesus makes a point of not using a name for the rich man because those who live for the pleasures of this life and never prepare for eternity remain unnamed. The story of Lazarus and the rich man illustrates the point.

God created man for His glory. The sad and wasted life is when a man dies worth millions and faces an eternity in spiritual poverty apart from God. Those who are not rich toward God are fools. Riches must come from the Lord God. The real heroes of life are the souls who never find bondage in drugs, alcohol, pleasures, and wealth. They seek the eternal home, living simple lives to the glory of God, facing death with joy. Their testimonies become the cloud of witnesses that shine forth as stories of faith. They seek Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, as their guide. Is your life sad and wasted? Come to Jesus. He will make you alive again.