The Parable of the Rich Man is about a man with a big harvest in his field (Luke 12). However, his barns were not big enough for the crops so he decided he would tear them down to build bigger ones. He decided he could store his surplus grain for years to come and "take life easy" (Luke 12:19). Jesus concluded the parable saying in Luke 19:20-21 - “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
The moral of this parable is clear. Worldly wealth is not more important than spiritual wealth. How much we've stored in our earthly bank accounts will never compare to what we've stored for ourselves in heaven. This is an important lesson for every Christian to learn. Thankfully, the parable contains additional nuggets for Christian entrepreneurs. Things we must consider. For instance, did you wonder why the rich man waited until harvest time to focus on adequate storage? Didn't he know that a bumper harvest was coming?
While happy accidents do happen, it is dangerous to not prepare for a surplus in a business. Unanticipated profits can easily be squandered instead of invested with an eye toward long-term growth. Additionally, failure to anticipate increased demand, which is akin to the man not preparing for his harvest, can cause great loss in business. An entrepreneur must do their best to keep up with demand so as not to lose customers and momentum.
Next, why did the man decide to tear down the barns he already had? Couldn't he have simply just built new ones?
It is very easy to tear down a structure that seems inadequate. However, it may be more cost-effective to add to it. It is important to not be wasteful. In fact, being wasteful of resources is not scriptural because God expects his people to be good stewards of what He has given. Imagine tearing down functional barns and potentially leaving grain exposed to the elements and animals in the meantime? Seems unnecessary and ineffective.
Finally, the man's focus on taking life easy was based on his conclusion that there was no need to farm anymore because he had more than enough to sustain him.
While there is nothing wrong with taking time to relax and in fact, it is sinful to not relax given that even God rested on the Sabbath, there is something wrong in becoming lazy. If for no other reason, consider the lesson from Proverbs 13:22 - A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous. Deciding to take the next few years off - as the rich man was planning - would diminish his ability to leave something tangible behind for future generations. Besides, what if a fire burned down the surplus grain? What if a famine arrived and others needed grain? Would he not help them?
The Parable of the Rich Man contains a lot of lessons we can learn from. Lessons that can benefit our business but also other areas of our life. May the Lord help us to be mindful and industrious so we take what He's given and use it for His glory and not just our personal desires. That way we'll never forget to store up treasures for ourselves in heaven, IJMN Amen.