What is the focus of your life? Is it seeking things just to be happy moment by moment, or achieving important goals? What if your life was suddenly taken from you? Would you be ready? Questions like this are helpful and can reveal that our life may need some adjusting.

A man in a crowd once called out to Jesus, wanting Him to get involved in a personal matter. He was having a dispute with his brother over the family inheritance. In response, Jesus made a profound statement, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15)

Jesus laid His finger on the real problem. It was not his brother, but the man’s focus. He was tempted by the potential wealth he could have with the inheritance, and all the things he could do with it for himself. Jesus knew this temptation was a common problem in the human heart, so He told a story to illustrate an important truth.

He shared about a wealthy farmer who had a tremendous harvest, “...and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’” (Lk. 12:17-19)

Now if Jesus ended the story at that point, there would be nothing to learn. Instead, He continued with these striking words, “But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” (Lk. 12:20-21)

The farmer’s life focus was the “here and now.” For him, his life revolved around his work, building wealth, and making plans for his future. The farmer gave no thought to anything beyond his own interests, nor to the eternal or spiritual things of God

As a result, his Creator called him a “fool.” Why? Because all the things he focused on would mean nothing in the next life. He could take none of it with him. At death it would be ripped away from his earthly hands and left behind to others.

Let us not be so quick to condemn the farmer. If we are honest, many of us are much the same. The temptation to become fixated on this life is real, because there is so much that grips our attention.

The stuff we buy, marriage and family, busyness, financial troubles, health issues and so on. We all have fallen prey to this common enemy. That is until a major crisis hits.

Cancer. Car accident. Heart attack. Natural disaster. When things like this suddenly appear, it is often a wake-up call. The farmer was so focused on this life, storing up things for himself, then suddenly God announced he was going to die that very night. That was not in the farmer’s plans. He was not ready.

Do not wait until some tragedy hits your life before you discover what is most important. Open your eyes to the eternal and spiritual things of God. Prepare for the next life before it is too late.

Jesus died and rose again to reveal your greatest priority – to know and live for God. Today, begin storing up heavenly treasure though reordering your life according to His ways, being faithful toward Him, forgiving those who have hurt you and doing all the good you can toward your neighbor, which starts at home.

A prayer for you - Lord God, show me if I have put the stuff of this life ahead of you. Help me to admit and repent from my selfish ways. Change me, O God. Become the priority in my life and prepare me for the next, whenever that day should come. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Clint Decker is president of Great Awakenings. Share comments at cdecker@greatawakenings.org and follow his blog at clintdecker.blogspot.com.