It was the experience of tasting what has come to be known—at least in our family—as a two-million-dollar bottle of wine.
Shortly after Sue and I arrived at my father-in-law’s house, he pulled me aside and said, “I was saving this bottle of wine for when the hospital was complete. I’d like to share it with you and Sue over dinner sometime this week.”
Several years earlier, he had purchased a rare bottle of wine with a very specific purpose in mind. He was deeply invested—financially and personally—in the construction of a children’s hospital. The project wasn’t just a business venture; it was a labor of love. He had poured his expertise into it, along with nearly all of his savings. Other family members had invested as well. If the project had succeeded, his payout would have been approximately two million dollars.
But through a series of unfortunate events, the project fell through.
The hospital was never completed. The investment was lost.
And that bottle of wine—once meant to celebrate a joyful conclusion—became the only tangible thing left from years of sacrifice. In a strange way, it became a symbol: not of success, but of loss. A two-million-dollar bottle of wine.
The morning before we went out to dinner, I spent time praying and reading Scripture. In my reading, I came across Jesus’ words in Luke 12:13–21—the parable of the rich fool. It’s the story of a man whose land produced abundantly, so abundantly that he decided to tear down his barns and build bigger ones. His plan was simple: secure his future, relax, eat, drink, and enjoy life. But God’s verdict is sobering: “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you.” Jesus concludes with a warning that has been echoing in my heart ever since: “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
So when it came time to open the wine that evening, I shared what I had read that morning. I summarized Jesus’ story and tried—awkwardly, but honestly—to explain what God has been teaching me through lost investments and other losses over the past couple of years.
What matters most in life is not what I am able to achieve or acquire. What really matters is being rich toward God.
What Does It Mean to Be Rich Toward God?
The wealthy farmer in Jesus’ story was not immoral or dishonest. He was successful and outwardly blessed. But his fatal mistake was the orientation of his heart. He treated his abundance as something to secure his own comfort, identity, and future—as if life itself consisted in possessions.
To be rich toward God, according to Jesus, is the opposite of laying up earthly treasure and comforts for yourself. It is the opposite of living as though you were made for things rather than for God. It is the opposite of acting as if this life, with all its accumulation and achievement, is the final horizon.
Jesus’ parable helps us see at least three key aspects of what it means to be rich toward God.
1. Treasuring God Himself
To treasure God Himself is to be rich toward God—to value knowing Christ above all the gifts He gives. Paul captures this vision when he writes that everything else is loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus his Lord (Philippians 3:8–9).
The rich fool trusted temporary wealth to give him rest, comfort, and joy. Paul, by contrast, was captivated by something far greater: a life transformed by God’s glory, caught up in His love and eternal kingdom. Being rich toward God begins not with the created things we possess, but through treasuring our good God who is the giver of all good gifts.
2. Loving What He Loves And Treasuring God’s Family
To be rich toward God is also to love and treasure God’s family. True spiritual wealth is not found in independence or self-sufficiency, but in belonging to the household of God. Scripture teaches that we come to know the love of Christ fully only together—as that love is embodied through a shared life together marked by patience, forgiveness, burden-bearing, and truth spoken in love.
The rich fool sought security through self-sufficiency: “my crops, my barns, my goods, my soul.” God, however, offers lasting security through participation with Him in His eternal family—the church, which Christ loves and bled for as part of God’s unfolding plan (Ephesians 2:19–22; 3:10–18; 5:25–27).
3. Treasuring God’s Kingdom and Living With Eternity in View
Finally, to be rich toward God is to pursue God’s kingdom by living with eternity in view rather than treating this life as the final destination. Both Jesus and Paul consistently redirect our hearts from temporary, visible wealth to the unseen and lasting riches of God’s kingdom. They call us to live now in light of resurrection and future glory.
This kingdom focus does not lead to withdrawal, but to wiser, more purposeful living—discerning God’s will and becoming a worshiping, thankful, mutually submitting community of disciples. Unlike the rich fool, who used abundance to secure ease and retreat from responsibility, those who are rich toward God are drawn deeper into God’s work and life with God’s people as active citizens and ambassadors of His kingdom.
Our problem is that being rich toward God doesn't simply happen in a world where other loves constantly compete for the affection and allegiance of our hearts. Without some intentionality, we easily drift away from what matters most.
Practices That Form a Life Rich Toward God
Historically, believers have cultivated hearts and lives that are rich toward God through some simple, time-tested practices.
Treasuring God:
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Practicing regular Sabbath rest
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Daily contemplative prayer that acknowledges God’s presence
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Unhurried meditation on Scripture that trains us to behold Christ
Loving His family:
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Regular table fellowship and shared meals
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Open conversation and prayer around God’s Word
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Practicing hospitality and generosity through shared joys and burdens
Seeking His kingdom:
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Intentional service to others, especially the vulnerable—the poor, widows, and those in need
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Diligence and simplicity in everyday work, using resources to contribute to God's kingdom purposes
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Grace-filled storytelling about Jesus woven into ordinary life
Why Many Believers Feel Spiritually Poor
Many believers today find themselves stuck. They are deeply dedicated and doing many good things, yet they are tired, alone, and spiritually poor—the opposite of being rich toward God. In my experience, those who feel this way often share something in common: their lives are full of tasks—many of them good works—but there is little space for practices and habits that actually help them know Christ.
This is why these time-tested practices matter. They are not random spiritual add-ons or extra religious activities to add to an already overloaded schedule. They are intentional, formative, and part of living an ordered life that is genuinely rich toward God.
The outward practices are at the bottom of the list because they grow organically out of a life rooted in Christ and his people. Some of us are doing many good ‘outward’ things and are highly committed, but we are trying to meet every need, pursue every opportunity, and fix every problem that comes our way while living disconnected from intimacy with Christ and meaningful Christian community. Intimacy with Christ and meaningful community don't just 'happen'; they take discipline. They are neither efficient nor convenient, nor without personal cost, but they are key aspects of living rich toward God.
That evening, as we shared a rare bottle of wine that had come to represent profound loss, I was reminded again that our losses can really be an invitation to become richer toward God. They can loosen our grip on the things that compete with God for our attention and affection, and help reorient our hearts toward the one who loves us most.
By God’s grace, our losses can help us see what really matters.
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