"A certain ruler asked Him, [Jesus] "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'
"All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said. When Jesus heard this, he said to him,
"You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth, Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, 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."
Those who heard this asked, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus replied,
"What is impossible with men is possible with God."
"We have left all we had to follow you!"
"I tell you the truth," Jesus said to them, "no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will not fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life." Luke 18:18-29
"Being rich is such a great disadvantage." Francis Chan said this in a recent sermon of his on this passage. (http://www.cornerstonesimi.com) What a bold statement to think about compared to what is pounded into our worldly hearts every second. Get this, get that, buy this gadget, eat this food, enjoy yourself, relax, you deserve a vacation, indulge, accomplish nothing. Do you feel that pressure? That lie that if you don't get the next thing, if you don't have a certain amount of money, if you don't do this certain thing you will amount to nothing? Be unsuccessful? Fail?
Look at what Jesus is saying here! It is HARD for a rich man to enter the Kingdom. Why do you think that is? Why is it that the poverty stricken people in this world seem to understand the concept of God providing for us better than we do?
Do you realize that if you (or your parents) make over $47,500 dollars a year, you are in the top 1% of the richest people in the world? Most people in the world live on less than $2 a day. I think one of the devil's biggest tricks is making us believe that the more stuff we have the happier we will be. The devil knows that if he keeps us from being focused on something, anything other than Jesus, he's won. Besides, when we have everything we need, who needs to be saved? Look at how all of the STUFF distracts us from what's really important.
To love God and love others.
When the devil gets to us and tells us that all we need is more money, more stuff, a promotion, a new car, nicer things, he's only doing what he can to get us distracted from our purpose.
Jesus may say it's hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom, but he wouldn't be God if they couldn't, "What is impossible for men is possible with God." How much more awesome is God to us when He does something impossible? There's glory for Him in every circumstance.
Paul says in Philippians 4 that "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." He goes on to say that he "know[s] what it is to be in need, and . . . what it is to have plenty." He learned the secret of being content in every circumstance. Are you ready to hear the big secret? The one that the devil has been working day and night to keep away from you? Paul says, "I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength." That's it. Do you see how much easier it is to depend on Him for your earthly needs (someone who's in need of food, water, a home, etc) then for your spiritual, unseen needs (eternal life, santification.) "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18 That's why people who are homeless, daily relying on God for survival GET IT and we don't.
No, we may get it, but that's about where our faith stops. Our attitude is something like, "the concept is grasped, the execution is a little elusive." We get all fired up about God, but our passion stays in the chapel, the bible study house, or our bedrooms. The zeal closes with the last page we read.
We're too covered in stuff to have that healthy and completely dependent relationship with God.
It's a constant battle for us not to be like the rich ruler who walked away sad because he wasn't willing to give up his stuff and follow Jesus.
We're promised rewards greater than we'll let go of and we "will not fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life." Why can't we see that God wants to provide for us in this age and the age to come? Why can't we let go of our own security for His security? Why can't we love the people who need Jesus more than stuff? Why can't we leave our own comfort for freedom and LIFE in Jesus? Why don't we do something about what we only scrape the surface of in church? What don't we cultivate ourselves so that we're effective? It's time to share what God's given us with the other 99% of the world, if only to realize how much more we need Jesus.
by a girl that waits for Him and lives for Him.
"Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him." Isaiah 64:4
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30.6.10
puppy love.
Say you're looking for a dog. You want a very, very specifically trained one that has certain traits and characteristics. You might even have a list of all the things you're looking for. But you don't want a puppy, because you don't have the time or energy to train it. You search high and low for a match, but they all fall short. You're at the pet store and you come across a puppy that you absolutely fall in love with. He's a bit crazy and unsure, but you can see he has potential. Now you have a choice; go on with the search for the "perfect dog" or snatch up the love of your life, even if it means a little more attention, work, and time. In a perfect world, both situations would work out great. A full grown dog is tamer, more self-sufficient. A puppy is moldable and freer to explore the world around him. But both have their downfalls as well. An older dog is set in his ways (can't teach an old dog new tricks?) And a younger dog tends to be reckless and unruly. Both take work and time, and both are usually worth it for the results you require.
Being the dog owner of a new puppy, you'll more than likely have a pretty clean slate to work with. Now, I'm most definitely not saying you're going to change the puppy's core and built-in characteristics, but you have the chance to influence and train him in some ways. And because you love him, you except those things you cannot change as apart of him and why you love him. You get to grow together and experience life, good and bad. But you also, if you think about it, learn a lot from that puppy. In all reality, you become that puppy's puppy. Come on, who really learns more when raising a pup? The dog learns how to sit, stay, bark, etc. You learn discipline, commitment, and patience. I have the same idea about relationships. A man and a woman that are still young (and even most older, unselfish couples) have the unparalleled opportunity to sharpen one another. Think about the history you get to share together if you get the chance to start out young. My Love and I get to carry into adulthood experiences and challenges that many people don't get to experience until years later because they've spent their youth looking for the perfect dog. I'm not saying that's a bad thing either, you definitely don't want to settle, but being too picky is a problem as well. I simply consider myself blessed to have had such an early start with my best friend forever.
It takes commitment, just like any other relationship. I'd venture to say it's a little more to lose because you're giving away such an important time of your life to someone else. Last time I looked, the Bible still said that to lose life is to gain it in Jesus' name. Why do we hold on so tightly when the exact opposite action gives us precisely what we've been needing?
I can say with confidence that we will spend the rest of our lives together proving that God can work incredibly in the weak and the youth.
Please keep our relationship in your prayers. God is going to do some amazing things with Zac at his new school and me at my old one. I can't wait to see what God has in store for us.
Being the dog owner of a new puppy, you'll more than likely have a pretty clean slate to work with. Now, I'm most definitely not saying you're going to change the puppy's core and built-in characteristics, but you have the chance to influence and train him in some ways. And because you love him, you except those things you cannot change as apart of him and why you love him. You get to grow together and experience life, good and bad. But you also, if you think about it, learn a lot from that puppy. In all reality, you become that puppy's puppy. Come on, who really learns more when raising a pup? The dog learns how to sit, stay, bark, etc. You learn discipline, commitment, and patience. I have the same idea about relationships. A man and a woman that are still young (and even most older, unselfish couples) have the unparalleled opportunity to sharpen one another. Think about the history you get to share together if you get the chance to start out young. My Love and I get to carry into adulthood experiences and challenges that many people don't get to experience until years later because they've spent their youth looking for the perfect dog. I'm not saying that's a bad thing either, you definitely don't want to settle, but being too picky is a problem as well. I simply consider myself blessed to have had such an early start with my best friend forever.
It takes commitment, just like any other relationship. I'd venture to say it's a little more to lose because you're giving away such an important time of your life to someone else. Last time I looked, the Bible still said that to lose life is to gain it in Jesus' name. Why do we hold on so tightly when the exact opposite action gives us precisely what we've been needing?
I can say with confidence that we will spend the rest of our lives together proving that God can work incredibly in the weak and the youth.
Please keep our relationship in your prayers. God is going to do some amazing things with Zac at his new school and me at my old one. I can't wait to see what God has in store for us.