Material Things Cannot Feed the Soul
Luke 12:16-21
And he spoke a parable to them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:…


Do you suppose that a man can feed his soul in that way? Can a soul be fed with silver or gold? Can a soul be made merry because outward goods increase? How beggarly the conception! How stultified the man appears by this very address to himself! He proposed to feed that which was divine with that which was essentially animal. He had no holy thoughts, no merciful inclinations; he had no chastened and purified aspirations I he had no sweet and loving affections; he had nothing that was glorious in holiness, or beautiful in any wise. But, "O, my soul," said he, "take thine ease." How many men there are that try to quiet their souls. How many men there are that say to their uneasiness, "Why art thou disquieted in me, O my soul? Art thou not rich?" A man's soul rich because his pocket is rich I How many men say, "Oh, soul, what wilt thou? What have I not done for thee? Look abroad and behold the fields. They are all thine. Look upon all these harvests. They are thine. Glance up the mountain side, and measure all the stately trees thereon. All these things are thine, and all these mansions, and all these titles and bonds, and all this silver and gold." And the poor smothered soul says, "I will have none of them." The soul — has it a mouth? Can it eat, as a man's body can? The soul — is it a broker and exchanger of money? Does it love to hear the clink of gold and silver? Is that the soul?

(H. W. Beecher.)



Parallel Verses
KJV: And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:

WEB: He spoke a parable to them, saying, "The ground of a certain rich man brought forth abundantly.




How, Then, am I to Become Prepared for the Last Great Scene
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