In The Word
Read: Luke 18:18-34
The Rich Young Ruler
18 A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 But Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments, ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not give false testimony, Honor your father and mother.’” 21 And he said, “All these things I have kept since my youth.” 22 Now when Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 23 But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely wealthy. 24 And Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God!” 26 Those who heard Him said, “And so who can be saved?” 27 But He said, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.”
28 Peter said, “Behold, we have left our own homes and followed You.”29 And He said to them, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house, or wife, or brothers, or parents, or children for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who will not receive many times as much at this time, and in the age to come, eternal life.”
31 Now He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all the things that have been written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. 32 For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be ridiculed, and abused, and spit upon, 33 and after they have flogged Him, they will kill Him; and on the third day He will rise.” 34 The disciples understood none of these things, and the meaning of this statement was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
Yeshua encountered a rich ruler who inquired about inheriting eternal life. Though the ruler said he followed all of God’s commands, Yeshua said he still had one problem: his wealth. When Yeshua told him to sell all his possessions and give the funds to the poor, the man walked away sad. Yeshua told the disciples that anyone who gives up possessions or relationships for the sake of the kingdom of God would receive blessings in much greater measure both on earth and in heaven.
God may not ask you to give up all of your wealth. But if God did ask you to give it all away, or even one thing that is very important to you, what would be your response? Would you reject God and, in doing so, reject God’s work in that part of your life? Or would you trust God enough that He would only tell you to do something that would help you become more holy?
The bigger danger of possessions is not that we can own them, but that they can own us. Would you have a difficult time letting go of a material possession if God commanded it of you? Or do you desire to acquire more wealth and possessions? If the answer is “yes,” then earthly possessions likely have a stronghold over you like they did over the rich ruler. The solution is to ask God to use His power to free you, and, instead of acquiring more things, give some of what you have away to others.