Don’t Waste Time Trying to Build Bigger Barns
By Pastor Joel – Open Heaven Christian Church – Fisher, Arkansas
In the last few months, I have lost people who were dear to me, and I am humbled because of their passing. All of them were believers in Christ. First, I lost my friend and brother in the Lord, Brother Keith, in June. Then I lost my father, Juan, in August, and just yesterday, I lost a dear friend and neighbor, John.
When faced with adversity that can cause discouragement, it would be easy to just ask, “Why is all this happening?” It would be easy to become angry at God, shift the blame on Him, quit serving the Lord, and quit the ministry. Instead, I choose to say what Job said:
“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.” – Job 13:15
As I reflect on what has happened over the past few months, I can truly say that my faith and patience have been tested, yet I will trust in the Lord. These terrible things that have happened have caused me to think about how fragile life really is and how no one knows when their time on earth is up.
Two days ago, I arrived at my home and saw my neighbor John, who was retired, working in his backyard. John liked growing tomatoes, which he would share with me when they were ripe off the vine. He was a strong Christian man who loved and feared the Lord. That day, when I pulled up to my home, I got out of my truck and saw John working on his barn, so I waved hello as I usually would when I would see John in his backyard tending his garden and working to make repairs on his old barn that he had built with his own hands.
The thought never crossed my mind that I would never hear John’s voice again when I pulled up to my home, got out, and went inside. Hours later, in the late afternoon, I heard someone literally banging on my door. It was John’s wife, Becky. When I opened the door, she was hysterical and crying for help as she ran back to her backyard. I knew at that moment that something terrible had happened. I ran to help her, and when I got to their backyard, I saw John lying on the grass beside his truck and Becky weeping over him, yelling, “John, wake up, please,” through her tears. I was deeply saddened when I saw what had happened. I knelt down, put my arm around Becky, and began to pray as I tried to comfort her.
By the time I got to their backyard, another neighbor was doing CPR on John, trying to revive him, with no success at all. The man doing CPR had emergency 911 on speakerphone, calling for help. Within minutes, the ambulance, fire rescue crew, and police came to their residence to try to help John. Minutes later, the assistant fire chief walked up to Becky and held her hand, then looked straight into her eyes as Becky was still crying and weeping. He then said to her, “John is deceased.”
When I heard the fire chief speak those words to Becky, I was speechless and froze like a stiff board on a cold, freezing winter day. After gathering my composure and holding back my tears because I didn’t want to make Becky panic even more, I focused on trying to comfort her with the promise the Lord gave to Martha when her brother Lazarus died. The words Jesus comforted Martha with were these words that also apply to every believer in Jesus:
“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:” – John 11:25
My neighbor and friend John, who had just passed away, was a God-fearing man who loved Jesus and was never ashamed of sharing the gospel with others. He never appeared to me as a man who was more interested in the luxuries of life. He was a simple man who lived in a decent home and loved the Lord.
Although John was a simple and caring man, he did enjoy working in his backyard, and I always saw him as a man who enjoyed being outdoors, doing something, and staying busy. That last week, I saw John every day working on the barn he had built years ago. He was adding lumber to the backside of his barn. It looked like John was expanding his barn to make it bigger.
After John’s passing, the Lord reminded me of a portion of Scripture I had read many times before, but last night, this Scripture came to life and really spoke to me about how fragile life really is. John was here one day working on his barn, and the next thing I knew, he was gone from planet Earth. No one expected what had happened. It seemed so sudden and untimely because John was the type of guy who enjoyed working in his yard.
John’s death took everyone by surprise. He seemed healthy and strong, yet he was gone. The Bible is clear that everyone has an appointed time allocated to them on earth, and no one knows how long anyone really has because God is the only One who knows. I’ve learned to realize that time is also fragile because time waits on no one; it just continues no matter what happens on earth.
The Scriptures teach that God has “appointed” a time in which every human being will come and stand before the Lord at a specific time appointed by God.
“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” – Hebrews 9:27
God never promised reincarnation or a second chance in life to anyone. God stated clearly in Scripture that it is “appointed once” for a man to die, and after that, the judgment, in which everyone will have to stand before the Lord and be judged on how they lived their life, with or without God.
I don’t think that my neighbor John sought after the wealth of this world, yet the appointed time came unexpectedly. I also do not think that John was expanding his barn to have more room to store wealth. I believe he was simply adding on to his barn to make more room to store the things he already had, like tools and such. As you read the following portion of Scripture, please know that I am sharing this in the context that life and time are fragile, and we all must come to grips with this reality because no one lives on this earth as we know it forever.
These are the very words of Jesus:
Luke 12:13-21
“13And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. 14And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? 15And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. 16And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
After reading this again last night, I have come to realize that there is nothing on this earth that lasts forever except the hope and faith in God that one has for eternal life, as Jesus taught throughout all the Gospels. This is why Jesus taught that one should live their lives focused on things that are eternal and not earthly.
“19Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” – Matthew 6:19-21
Many today, including many believers, have been distracted by earthly matters and how great a life they can make for themselves here on earth. There is nothing wrong when God blesses a person with earthly things like a home, good food, clothing, great health, etc., but that should never be the reason or focus of why we serve and believe in God the Father and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Believers should always be thankful for everything God gives them, but they should always come to the realization that everything earthly is only temporal and given by God to help, bless, and further His eternal kingdom.
I will close with these words Jesus taught in Scripture.
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” – Matthew 8:36
Jesus didn’t say these words to condemn people, but rather to shift their eyes upon God and eternal things that will last forever.
The eternal things are the love God gives to us so we can love one another as Christ has loved us, and the fruit of the Holy Spirit found in Galatians chapter 5. When we bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit, we can then show the character and nature of Christ in our lives. When we leave this earth, we will never take any earthly possessions with us, but we can take the love of the Father that we shared with others.
“But now these three things remain: faith, hope, love; but the greatest of these is love.” –
1 Corinthians 13:13
Ecclesiastes 12:9-14 – The Whole Duty of Man
“9And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and set[c] in order many proverbs. 10The Preacher sought to find [d]acceptable words; and what was written was upright—words of truth. 11The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of [e]scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd. 12And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh.
13Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.
14For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil.”
May my friends and family members who have recently left this earth rest in peace in the presence of the Lord. Their legacy of faith, hope, and love that they all shared has been an encouragement to me in my life.
God bless you,
Pastor Joel
