What the Parable of the Rich Fool Teaches Us About True Wealth
Being Rich Toward God
This article contains affiliate links. I only share what I’ve used, loved, or personally helped create.There's a particular kind of poverty that has nothing to do with your bank account.
I've seen it in women who've achieved everything they set out to build—the successful business, the financial freedom, the influence, the platform—only to wake up one day and realize something's missing. Not gratitude or generosity. But purpose. They've been so focused on building bigger barns that they forgot to ask: "What am I building this for? And who does it really belong to?"
The parable of the rich fool in Luke 12 isn't a story about a bad man. It's a story about a successful man who made one critical mistake: he built everything for himself and nothing for God. His barns overflowed. His future looked secure. His plans were solid.
And yet God called him a fool.
Not because he was wealthy. And not because he was successful. But because he wasn't rich toward God.
What does that mean?
And what does it mean for those of us who are building businesses, creating wealth, pursuing influence, and trying to honor God while doing it? What does it actually look like to be rich toward God instead of just financially successful?
When Success Becomes the Bigger Barn
Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ (Luke 12:16-17)
Here's what strikes me about this man: he had a legitimate problem. His success was real. His harvest was abundant. He wasn't a con artist or a thief. He was good at what he did. So good that his storage couldn't contain his blessing.
The problem wasn't the abundance. The problem was his response to it.
So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”
Luke 12:18-19
I. I. I. My. My. My.
Every pronoun pointed back to himself. Every plan centered on his comfort. Every resource is stored for his future security. He saw abundance and thought, "Now I can finally rest. Now I can take care of me."
He never once asked, "God, what do You want me to do with this extra?"
And that's when God spoke:
But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Luke 12:20-21
NOT RICH TOWARD GOD
The harsh truth? You can build an empire and still be broke in the things that matter. You can have financial success and spiritual bankruptcy. You can construct bigger barns while God is waiting for you to open a door.
Where Your Treasure Lives, Your Heart Follows
You may think the goal is to make enough money so you can be generous. Get the business profitable, then give back. Build financial security, then think about Kingdom impact.
But Jesus flips that completely:
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.Your heart doesn't lead your treasure. Your treasure leads your heart.
Matthew 6:19-21
If you're investing everything into earthly security—the retirement account, the savings, the assets, the "one day when I'm comfortable" plans—that's where your heart will be. If you're building businesses just to build wealth for yourself, your heart will stay locked in those barns with your goods.
But if you're investing in eternal things—people, Kingdom work, generational impact, service, good works—your heart will be there too. Right where God is.
These are truths in the businesses that I’m building. Crown Me Wig Collection with LaQuanda isn't just about selling wigs. Winners Win with Taneka isn't just about empowering student athletes. We’re building businesses that serve communities, create generational wealth, and employ others. That’s honoring God.
That's treasure in heaven. That's richness toward God. That's the difference between building bigger barns and building Kingdom infrastructure.
Rich in Good Works, Not Just Good Fortune
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
1 Timothy 6:17-19
Notice Paul doesn't tell wealthy people to feel guilty or to get rid of their wealth. He tells them to use it differently. Be rich in good works. Be ready to share. Be willing to distribute. Trust God, not your bank account.
Being rich toward God isn't about how much you have. It's about what you do with what you have.
Not to be rich toward God is to have much, and it’s what you do with what you have.
I think about the women I want to serve through Inspired Eagle—women building businesses, creating platforms, writing books, and leading movements. The question isn't "Are you making money?" It's "What are you making money for?"
Are you building so you can hoard? Or building so you can distribute?
Are you creating wealth so you can take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry? Or creating wealth so you can employ, empower, and elevate the next generation?
Are you rich in possessions or rich in impact?
The rich fool had abundance. But he wasn't rich in good works. He wasn't ready to distribute. He wasn't willing to communicate or share. He had goods laid up—and a soul that was required.
True Wealth Is What Survives Your Last Breath
Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Luke 12:33-34
Here's the sobering truth the parable forces us to face: One day, God will require your soul. And on that day, all the barns you built, all the goods you stored, all the security you accumulated—none of it goes with you.
Would God have required the rich man’s life at that time? We don’t know for sure. But God called Him a fool for the way he handled his wealth. And that was that.
What I do know is this…
The only thing that survives is what you invested in eternity.
The people you employed. The Kingdom work you funded. The doors you opened. The people you mentored. The platforms you built that amplified God's voice. The businesses you created that served communities. The legacy you left that points back to Him.
That's the treasure that doesn't fade. That's the wealth that can't be stolen. That's being rich toward God.
I don't want to build bigger barns because I have so much and am unwilling to take care of God’s Kingdom. I want to build tables where people can feast. I don't want to store goods for myself alone. I want to create opportunities for others. I don't want my daughters and son to inherit my money and miss my mission.
I want them to see a woman who understood that everything she built belonged to God, was resourced by God, and existed to serve God's purposes.
That's true wealth.
Pausing For You
Take a moment with these questions:
If God required your soul tonight, what would happen to everything you've built? Who would it serve? Would it continue Kingdom work or just become someone else's inheritance?
Are you building bigger barns for personal security, or building for collective impact?
Where is your treasure actually invested? Not where you say it is—where your bank statements, your calendar, and your energy prove it is?
What would change if you truly believed that being rich toward God matters more than being rich in the world?
You don't have to choose between success and spirituality. But you do have to choose your purpose.
The rich fool chose himself. And lost everything.
You can choose God. And gain what lasts forever.
Build Wealth That Honors God and Serves Generations
Want more biblical insights on building businesses with Kingdom purpose? Subscribe to the Live Inspired Letter—where you learn to keep your faith at the center of your life and business.
Subscribe here!
Because God doesn't need you to be poor. He needs you to be purposeful. And the world needs more people who aren't just building wealth—they're building legacies that prove you can be financially successful and rich toward God.
What does being "rich toward God" mean to you? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
When you’re building something that matters, how you show up matters too. This look supports the life you’re building, helping you show up grounded, polished, and prepared.
Write. Reflect. Recommend
A blog series where I share the stories, tools, and lessons that shaped my journey—and just might shape yours too.
Dear God, It’s Me…I’m Your Daughter. Where’s My Victory
