Verses 23-25, "Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, 'How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!' And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, 'Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.' ” It's not a sin to have earthly riches and posessions, but many will love and worship the gift rather than the giver. Trusting in riches is idolatry. Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." We are called to seek the kingdom of God first, not earthly things, knowing that He will provide us what we need.
When we don't get what we think we should have and get our will, it's easy to grumble and complain...more sin. Just the desire alone to have money, even when you don't have much, will trap you until you are spiritually destroyed. We need to practice being content and model this to our children, rather than feeding our carnal appetites for more things. 1 Timothy 6:6-10, "Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." If money alters you mood depending on whether you have it or not, it just might be a problem for you. How do you respond in a financial trial? With trust and faith, or fear and panic? Some even turn their focus to others and get bitter when others are blessed. This is a wicked heart.
In this chapter, we read of a rich young ruler who had plenty of worldly money and goods, but was lacking heavenly treasure. Although he had kept all the commandments relating to man, that wasn't good enough for God. He needs to be number one, the first and greatest commandment. Deuteronomy 6:5, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength." When asking Jesus what he may do to to inherit eternal life, he was told to go sell everything and give to the poor in order to store up treasure in heaven. The ruler needed to break the ties money had over him, and to prescription was to get rid of it all. Sometimes we need an extreme approach to removing sin in our lives, because it's the only way to be set free from it. Matthew 5:30, "And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell."
I Timothy 6:17-19, "Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life." We need to be generous with what the Lord had provided and be willing to serve others needs above our own. Verses 42-45, "But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, 'You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.' ” Those who lead should be better examples to those who follow, willing to serve harder and give more generously. Jesus certainly left us big shoes to fill, one could say impossible, but "...with God all things are possible."
Mark 10:5-9, 14-15, 19-21, 24-25, 27, 43-45
ReplyDeleteThe pharisees were once again asking Jesus questions to try and catch him. This time it was over marriage and divorce. God hates divorce."And Jesus answered and said to them, “Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’ ; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” Moses had written a law allowing divorce, but it was not a part of God's law. God made women to be a helper to the man and two should become one. So many people today want a divorce, and they make up so many excuses for it, but God still hates divorce.
"But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” when we accept the Lord, we need to have the faith of a child. Children depend on their parents, just like we need to fully depend on God. He is our father, and we need to come to Him when we need help and not just think we can do everything on our own. We need to have true humility.
Next, a rich man asked Jesus what else he had to do in order to follow God. "You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ” And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.” Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” The rich man was sad when Jesus told him to sell his possessions because he was focused on this world instead of the heavenly kingdom. Nothing of this world should be more important than where we spend our eternity. We also need to be willing to give up everything we have go follow God. We aren't going to take anything with us when we go to heaven. "And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.” so many people today put their trust km their possessions or money. They think if they have so much money they are secure, and they work to try and make sure they always have a certain amount of money. Our focus shouldn't be on money, but on God. We need to put our trust in God, because he has everything under control and he will provide for us. We don't need to worry, besides, worrying is a sin. If we are true Christians, our eyes need to be fixed on God.
"Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” back to coming to God as little children, we need to be humble. If we are prideful, God will humble us. We aren't great in and of ourselves. We are all dirty, filthy sinners deserving of death. Jesus gave us the prime example of humility when he came to earth as a nobody. He wasn't the son of a king, he was born in a manger. He came to serve not to be served. We need to follow the same example and be clothed in humility.
Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery , do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, Honor you father and your mother." And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth." Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor and you will have teasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me." But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
ReplyDeleteMark 10: 17-22
Here we see this rich young ruler with ruler with the wrong perspective on what is most important in life, he thought money or possessions. However Jesus rebukes Him very quick. He asks him "Why did you call me good? No one is good but One, that is God." He is trying to get His attention in order for Him to understand that His heart is not right and that he should know that Jesus is God. Because this man had the wrong center of his life Jesus tells him to go and sell whatever he has and give it to the poor. When we are at a point when we realize that everything that has been given to us belongs to God and He can take it back at any minute we are more quick at giving to others in need. How money or possessions are not our own they have been lent to us to serve a purpose and if that purpose means that we give all we have to the poor and trust in the Lord with our lives completely, then take it all Lord. Nothing in this life is more valuable then our walks with the Lord. Everything else is just a distraction, often times an idol in our lives that the Lord is trying to prune from us. Get rid of whatever it is that is keeping you from taking up your cross and following Him, giving God you life completely. Humbling ourselves before Him in our weakness He is made strong.