Rich Towards God
🌿When Everything Feels Like Chasing Wind
Have you ever poured yourself into something—your work, your home, even your dreams—and still felt empty?
That’s exactly where Ecclesiastes begins.
“Vanity of vanities,” says the Teacher. “All is vanity.”
This isn’t bitterness. It’s honesty.
It’s the feeling we get after climbing a ladder and realizing it was leaning against the wrong wall. It’s that inner voice late at night, asking: What’s all this for?
💔 I. The Restless Heart
The writer of Ecclesiastes had it all—power, wisdom, wealth—and yet, he came to see it all as fleeting. “A chasing after the wind,” he called it.
🪞Allegory: The Man Digging in the Desert
Imagine a man in the desert, digging furiously for water. Each time he thinks he’s close, the sand collapses. He keeps digging… but he never drinks.
Without living water, all his effort is in vain.
🧠 Real Life: The Burned-Out Professional
Think of a successful professional who finally reaches their dream job… only to find their health failing, their family distant, and their soul tired. They’ve achieved much—but it didn’t satisfy.
Ecclesiastes isn’t being cynical. It’s inviting us to ask:
What is the point of our work, if it doesn’t connect to something eternal?
Psalm 49 echoes this, reminding us:
“The wise and the foolish both perish... they leave their wealth to others.”
No matter how powerful or rich we are, we all die. We can’t buy our way out of that truth.
🛑 II. The Illusion of Security
In Luke’s gospel, someone asks Jesus to intervene in a family inheritance dispute. Seems like a fair request, right?
But Jesus sees a deeper issue:
“Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”
He tells the story of a rich man who builds bigger barns to store his crops so he can relax and enjoy life. But God says to him:
“You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you.”
⚓ Allegory: The Ship Without a Compass
This rich man is like a sailor who builds a massive ship and fills it with treasure—but forgets to bring a compass. When the storm comes, he’s lost at sea.
What good is the treasure if you don’t know where you're going?
🏠 Real Life: The Empty Influencer
A young entrepreneur builds an empire—luxury homes, travel, fame. But anxiety and loneliness creep in. She begins to wonder: Is this it?
Jesus' story reminds us: The problem isn’t wealth—it’s thinking that wealth is security.
✨ III. The Search for What Lasts
Both the Teacher in Ecclesiastes and the man in Jesus’ parable realize the same truth:
Nothing we build on earth lasts.
But Paul gives us hope in Colossians:
“Seek the things that are above, where Christ is... for your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Paul isn’t telling us to ignore daily life—he’s telling us to reorder it.
To put away greed, lust, bitterness, and instead live into a new self—clothed in Christ.
🏚️ Allegory: The Burning House
Living without Christ is like decorating a house that’s quietly on fire. Nice curtains, lovely paint—but the foundation is collapsing.
Jesus invites us not to redecorate—but to rebuild from the ground up.
🙏 Real Life: The Hospice Volunteer
A man who once craved applause and recognition leaves his corporate job. He starts volunteering at a hospice and discovers deep joy listening to those at the edge of life.
He begins to understand what really matters.
💎 IV. Christ Is Our True Treasure
Paul writes:
“Your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
That means who we truly are—our worth, our purpose, our future—is not measured by money, likes, or legacy.
It’s grounded in Christ.
🌳 Allegory: The Tree by the River
A tree planted beside a river doesn’t panic during drought. Its roots run deep. Even when everything dries up above ground, it still draws life from what’s unseen.
🧍♂️ Real Life: The Man Who Lost His Job
He thought his identity was in his career. But when he was laid off, something changed. In prayer and community, he discovered a deeper self—not one he achieved, but one he received in Christ.
When Christ is our treasure, we’re free to give, love, and live without fear. Because we’re no longer hoarding what fades—we’re investing in what lasts.
🔑 Life Rich Toward God
So, what truly endures?
Not full barns.
Not perfect resumes.
Not even beautiful reputations.
What lasts is:
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A heart turned toward God
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A life poured out in grace
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A soul clothed in Christ
That’s treasure.
That’s what no thief can steal.
That’s what death cannot take.
📣 Final Word: Don’t Chase the Wind
Let’s not chase what won’t last.
Let’s anchor our lives in eternity.
Let’s live not for what we can store up—but for what we can give away.
Let us be rich—not in things, but in Christ.
Amen.
🕊 Thanks for reading. If this reflection spoke to you, feel free to leave a comment or share it with someone who might need encouragement this week.
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