“The meditations of a foolish heart”
Luke 12:15-21
As we travel along the road of life, one needs not a brilliant mind to realize that the overwhelming majority of society’s ills are the product of the meditations of foolish individuals. Many of the conditions under which we live, and the decisions by which we’re affected exists solely due to man’s reluctance, even refusal to submit his will to the will of GOD. Supposed brilliant individuals, who in their meditations, consider only themselves, and their legacies, consulteth not GOD, and proceed to make decisions, render judgments, and vote into law, “The manifestations of fools’ meditations”. The Bible teaches us in Psalms 14:1-4: “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no GOD. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek GOD. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one”.
Whenever any among us acts without consideration of the heart of GOD, we’re sitting in the office of a fool, as in so doing, we’re denying the omniscience, or the all- knowing character, of The LORD. Whether you consider yourselves saved, un-saved, agnostic, or any other state of spirituality, if you’re not yielding to the will of the almighty GOD, you’ve taken on the role of a fool.
In our text, JESUS offers a parable of a man, who was foolish in his meditations. The Bible says that this rich man’s ground brought forth plentifully. To put it plainly, “He came up”! But instead of seeking to give glory to GOD, the Bible says: “He thought within himself”, saying “what shall I do”? And, anytime you seek guidance from any source save GOD, the resulting directive reflects the dearth of your spiritual intellect. Many of us “Spiritually enlightened” folk are guilty of the same offence: GOD allows us to pay off a car, and instead of giving it to someone who has no transportation, we’ll have four cars in the driveway. Then, we sit with our friends and boast about what we have. Certainly, as you meditated, GOD told you to give that car to the family down the street, who’s struggling. But the foolishness of our hearts overrules, or speaks louder than the voice of GOD. You have five big screen T.V.’S, and your neighbor has none. We accumulate all of these possessions, and build bigger barns, while claiming to have GOD’S spirit living inside of us.
(1) Don’t listen to YOUR heart:
The man in the text listened to his foolish heart, instead of seeking the face of The LORD. If your heart has been changed by GOD, you know what GOD is telling you to do. GOD is telling you to stop hoarding all of that stuff, and give it to someone who needs it. GOD is telling you to stop accumulating possessions, as if we’re going to be here forever, and sell some of those things, and give the money to the poor. GOD is telling you to give one of those cars to someone that’s in the same condition that you were in before GOD allowed you to “come up”.
The man in text, as he meditated, considered only those things which pertained to himself. It’s evident as he uttered the words, “I”, or “my”, eleven times, and not once did he say, we, us, you, they, or them. We’re talking about “The meditations of a foolish heart”. And the condition of your heart is determined by the things you allow to enter therein. You can listen to a person’s conversation, and almost immediately, you’ll know the condition of that persons heart. Someone who regularly studies the Word of GOD, will talk about the things which pertain to eternity, as that’s what he/she has allowed to enter into their heart. Their demeanor will be delightful because the Word of GOD has given him/her direction. That persons concerns will be on doing the things which pleases GOD. That person will talk about, and go about helping others; praying for others; reaching out to the least of men. On the other hand, when one regularly thinks of fleshly things, he/she talks, and acts accordingly. When you allow certain types of music, and other vain things to enter into your spirit, peculiar behavioral patterns begin to emerge. Hence, you see people, particularly young people trying to act like the rappers they see, and listen to. They’ve allowed what’s supposed to be entertainment to change, or determine their behavior.
This phenomenon is not, however, limited to teenagers. Many adults are unbelievably bound by the foolishness which they’ve allowed. I know grown men, in their forties, whose lives, and finances, have been turned upside down, and inside out by begetting numerous children; whose foolish hearts have been darkened, and still, they’re seeking the next conquest. They’re tormented by not having taken care of children; their finances are, baring a miracle, irreparably wrecked by being forced to pay child support; yet, if you talk to them for seven days, and seven nights, they’ll have but one question: “Where can I get some more”? “The meditations of a foolish heart”, is our subject!
(2) Include the spirit of greed on your rostrum of spirits to be cast out:
The man in our text sounds like many Christians among us, in that, the spirit of greed had caused him to be oblivious to life’s most pressing issue: “Where will I spend eternity”? While the accumulation of possessions is not of itself evil, we become remiss, and that dangerously, when we neglect to prepare our souls for eternity. The man in our text had become consumed with greed, at the expense of his soul. He was so obsessed with his station in life, that here he was on the eve of his departure from this earth, and all he’d gotten was “stuff”. We must not live so foolish, as to squander our allocated time in this life. JESUS teaches us in Matthew 6:33, to “Seek first the kingdom of GOD, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you”. On the other hand, society teaches us to put all of our emphasis on attaining wealth, and allow nothing to keep you from getting the things we desire. But, in all of your getting, the Bible says in Proverbs 4:7, “get understanding”. We need to get an understanding about GOD’S plan, and purpose for our lives. Until one understands what GOD has ordained for him/her, all that one does, or accomplishes, cannot and will not satisfy: We’re wasting precious time, and energy, drinking from a well that cannot fulfill. True fulfillment comes only from a relationship with JESUS CHRIST. Furthermore, the accumulation of material wealth, without a relationship with The LORD, only gives your survivors an occasion to “fallout”, when you’re gone. “Then, whose shall those things be”?, JESUS asks the man in text. The things you worked hard, and sacrificed for, might fall into the hands of an irresponsible person, who’ll not be diligent, as were you. In the area in which I was raised, West Dallas, Texas, the previous generation worked hard, sacrificed, endured discrimination, and all manner of degradation. Then they departed this life, and in many cases, their properties lapsed into disrepair. Many properties were consumed by unpaid taxes; Many surviving children ended up turning mamma enem’s piece of the American pie into crack houses. That 40 acres and a mule, which meant so much to the elders, is now an eyesore, and an astonishment. The once proud neighborhood turned into an area of ill-repute. Thus, we must expend our energy on something that is guaranteed to last. We must make sure we’re ready to meet The LORD. Greed is a spirit from the pit of hell! It’s a trap of the enemy, designed to cause you to immerse your very being into the pursuit or practices, of things which can in no wise satisfy the hunger and thirst for righteousness, that comes exclusively fromThe LORD. Cast out that greed spirit before it consumes you, and you become nothing more than an old dilapidated house, leaning, with no purpose, and no windows. Your soul will be fit for nothing, and you’ll be fit for nothing more than to be bulldozed into a hole in the ground.
(3) Breaking news: It’s with profound sadness, that I report, in many respects, many Churches have taken on the ways of the fool. I realize that it takes money to run my house, a sno-cone stand, a grocery store or any other viable entity. So, it takes money to run a Church. However, a serious breakdown has occurred when a person is reluctant to go to Church, for the singular reason that they have no money. When that culture exists in the Church, greed has gotten a stronghold on that ministry. Only a victim of superficial optimism would doubt the fact that greed, and other tentacles of evil would be able to project into a Church. Whatever spirit(s) that are allowed to remain in men/women, will carry out the operation of said spirit wherever men/women go. If the overseer or leadership of a particular body of believers does not take a stand, and call out that spirit, the effectiveness of that body, or that particular ministry will be compromised: Sinners will not be getting saved; no one will be delivered; no yokes will be destroyed, and everyone affiliated with that ministry will be negatively affected. Greed opens doors for other spirits to comfortably operate-- right in the middle of a once anointed ministry. That ministry will begin to resemble a conglomeration of abominations in the sight of GOD: A man and his husband will feel no conviction there, if his checkbook is fat; a woman and her wife will be able to give their way past rebuke; a man and his harem will sense no discomfort, as long as their giving is exceptional; an unlawfully cohabitating couple will have a wing dedicated to them in the new edifice; known dope dealers will have their names engraved on the new pews: All because a single spirit was allowed to exist, or dwell there, unopposed. Yes, the same spirit which caused the man in the text to neglect his soul, has caused many Church leaders to sacrifice truth on the alter of self interest. Thus, JESUS exclaimed to the rich man if the text; “Thou fool, this night will thy soul be required of thee”! He’s speaking to us, as individuals, and as a body of believers. Someone else will occupy that new, state-of-the-art facility, but the “Apostle” has to stand before GOD, as do we all. Yes, we all must stand before the JUDGEMENT seat of Christ, and the Bible says in II COR. 5:10: “For we must all stand before the JUDGEMENT seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad”.
SUMMARY
No matter your station in life, it behooves us to prepare our hearts to meet The LORD. The things that we meditate on will ultimately determine our readiness for the coming of that blessed hope--JESUS. For David saith in substance, in the first Psalm: Blessed is the man whose delight is in the law of The LORD, and in GOD’S law does he continually meditate. “And he shall be like a tree, planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth fruit in his season: his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper”. Take heed as to what you allow to become your driving force, as when your time on this earth has expired, that which you’ve meditated on will determine where you spend eternity. The man in our text had accomplished much, and we all should aspire to live as best we can. But above all, we must seek to make heaven our home. Keeping GOD at the forefront of our minds, will cause GOD to keep our minds in the perfect peace that only GOD gives, and turn our foolish hearts to wise.
