Rev Hugh Park, 3 August 2025
A man and his wife were in Africa watching a herd of wildebeest run across the plains. The animals were all running in the same direction, but suddenly, they stopped. The wildebeest looked confused, as if they didn’t know where they were or why they were running.
Their local guide explained that wildebeest aren’t very smart animals. They often run away from danger, but they quickly forget why they’re running. Lions know this, so they just follow the running wildebeest and wait for them to stop. When the wildebeest stop, forgetting why they were running, they become an easy dinner for lions. The animals’ memory is extremely short that they’ll sometimes walk right up to a sleeping lion, forgetting that the lion is a ‘lion’, and giving the lion breakfast in bed. (D Cox. “Seize the Day: Seven Steps to Achieving the Extraordinary in an Ordinary World, 2022)
Sometimes, we are like them. We run through our busy lives, trying to get ahead and assuming things will be better if we just keep doing that. We’re so focused on the race in this world, that we often forget why we’re running and who we really are in this life as a believer.
In Luke’s Gospel, a man asks Jesus to help resolve a financial dispute with his brother. Instead of getting involved in the argument, Jesus tells a powerful story, often called “the parable of the rich man.” This story, however, can be seen as “the parable of a successful person” because its message is still very relevant today.
The man in the parable had a fantastic harvest, so much so that he had nowhere to store it all. He decided to tear down his old barns and build bigger ones. He believed he had a plan for the rest of his life—he could finally relax, eat, drink, and be happy. But just as he felt he had it all figured out, God appeared and said, “You fool! This very night you will have to give up your life; then who will get all these things you have kept for yourself?”
The lesson here isn’t that being rich is bad. The man wasn’t greedy or selfish; he was successful, wise, and planned for his future. Most people would see his life as a great success. However, God didn’t take his life because he was rich. He died because he was not “rich toward God.” The central question isn’t about how much money you have, but rather, “Are you rich in the eyes of God?”
To understand what it means to be rich toward God, we can look at the story of Job. Job was a very wealthy man with a large family and many possessions. The Bible describes him as a good man, blameless in God’s eyes. Then, tragedy struck. He lost his children, all his possessions, and his health. His friends and even his wife told him to give up on God, questioning how a loving God could let such terrible things happen.
But Job’s faith never wavered. When he was prosperous, he worshipped God, and after losing everything, he remained faithful. He famously said, “I was born with nothing, and I will die with nothing. The Lord gave, and now he has taken away. May his name still be praised!” It’s easy to praise God when things are going well, but Job’s story shows us the depth of faith required to praise God even in the face of immense suffering and loss.
Like the wildebeest running across the plains, we often get caught up in the race of life, working hard to get ahead. We can become so focused on building a secure future that we forget our true purpose. It’s a blessing to work hard and provide for our families, but we must occasionally pause and ask ourselves why we are running and if our efforts are making us rich toward God.
Our faith journey involves our entire life in this world. And since so many people run in the other direction, we, Christians, too, tend to follow them in the same direction. We are in the world but we do not belong in it.
Worship is a great way to find the answers to these questions. It helps us understand our purpose in this short life and guides us back on track when we get lost. So, let me ask you again: “Are you rich in the eyes of God?” “Is your family rich toward God?”
Are you rich towards God?