And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the
And those who heard it said, “Who then can be saved?”
But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” – Excerpt from Luke 18: 18-30
Today’s Reading 2 Samuel 21-22; Luke 18:24-43
The camel through the eye of a needle is a pretty famous Christian reference that I heard a lot growing up. There was this notion that money was the root of all evil. The more money you had the more evil you had to be.
After all, how did you get all that money in the first place…
I was talking to a good friend of mine today. We hadn’t talked in a while so it was nice to catch up on how things are going. I was having a tough day and feeling a bit discouraged about some of these goals I have set for myself.
I was starting to second guess my dreams a bit.
But then she came in right on time with a perfect message. She told me how she had to first believe that she deserved to get her blessings before she could allow herself to get them. She was always taught that money was inherently bad; however, she needed money to accomplish what she set out to do.
But then here is the golden nugget that she dropped. She realized that as long as the reason she was striving for her goals was in line with her spirit and with God then she would be able to keep money in its proper perspective.
Money is a great tool, but it will not define who she is.
This is the problem that Jesus identified in the rich young man he was talking to above. It wasn’t that his riches and possessions prevented him from walking with Jesus. It was that he could not let go of them.
There may be all kinds of things holding you back from your purpose: fear, comfort, people, or things. But when it comes down to it you have to decide what you will do and what you deserve.
Are you willing to let go of what you are holding on to? Do you deserve joy, and happiness and all the wonderment that God’s path brings? Are you willing to drop everything in pursuit of that path?
Winning takes a full commitment. It is there for all of us. We just gotta step up and go get it.
Good entry brotha. I think it's also important to note that the Bible says the "LOVE of money" is the root of evil rather than money itself. It's been misquoted and misapplied so much that many people teaching on the subject seem to miss the point. It's the action of loving/lusting something more than God that's the major issue. The subject, money is a subpoint. However, it's highlighted because it's such a pervasive temptation and idol in people's lives. The love of money is something that gets in our minds and in our hearts and Jesus' greatest concern is where our heart, mind, and soul lies.
ReplyDeleteThis entry reminds me of your post a while back dealing with Jesus' statement "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple." "Hate", as we think about it isn't the issue, its strong wording like in the section you used above. It's really just a tool to illustrate the degree with which we need the Love of God in our lives 1st, above all other things to be/lived saved and to receieve everything he has in store for us.
Agreed sir! I was gonna hold off on the "love of money" for when we get to it later! Maybe you wanna get blog on that one?
ReplyDeleteYes I agree with the hate verbiage. Jesus is clearly making a point with these two situations. That's how strongly we are connected to these things. It's hard to separate... but when we do then what we will have will be better than we could ever imagine.
I plan on asking Job about that.
Hey Clarence, I hear your heart man of God. But even what you think you deserve is still far too low in comparison of what God truly has for you.
ReplyDeleteWhen you first asked, God heard it...
Now unto Him who is able to do far exceedingly, abundantly above ALL that YOU can ask, think, or even imagine. According to the power that works in you through Christ Jesus. Eph 3:20
Blessings
Your sister in Christ