To enjoy the kingdom of God and all that He has for us requires total allegiance to Him. In Mark 10, a rich young man came to Jesus and asked Him a very important question, \u201cGood teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?\u201d We must pay close attention to Jesus\u2019 response, because it contains a key to enjoying the immeasurable wealth of God\u2019s kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus first responded by saying, \u201cWhy do you call me good?\u00a0 No one is good except God!\u201d\u00a0 From the very beginning of teaching this young man, Jesus pointed him to God\u2026the only One who is good.\u00a0 This is an important point.\u00a0 Jesus, as a man, knew who alone was good.\u00a0 God is the Source of all that is good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then Jesus recited the last 6 commandments to which the\nyoung man replied, \u201cI have kept all these from my youth.\u201d Then Jesus responded with a shocker! He said, \u201cYou lack one thing: Go sell all you have and give to the poor,\nand you will have treasure in heaven. \nThen come, follow me.\u201d To this\nthe young rich man was stunned, because he had many possessions, and left Jesus\ngrieving. Jesus responded by telling the\ndisciples how hard it was for those with wealth to enter God\u2019s kingdom. My\nquestion is why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Is wealth bad? Is\nJesus condemning wealth? That is what\nmost Christians think, but it is a false doctrine! Those who believe wealth is bad don\u2019t know\nGod or His word. The lesson here has\nnothing to do with wealth or possessions, but EVERYTHING to do with what or who\nwe trust in. Who or what is our source\nof rest?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The young rich man\u2019s wealth was not the problem. His dependence on his wealth and possessions\nwas the problem! To enter God\u2019s kingdom,\nwe must be like little children. As\nthough we have nothing yet possessing all things. Isn\u2019t that how children are? They earned nothing and don\u2019t own anything,\nyet the possessions of their parents are all theirs to enjoy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I was a child, I never worried about food, clothing, or\nshelter. I didn\u2019t labor and toil to\nsurvive. I depended on my father to\nsupply my needs and I lived a restful life. \nThis is normal. For us to enter\nGod\u2019s kingdom, we must be like such children. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus was trying to teach the wealthy ruler to not trust in\nhis riches, but in God who is the true source of all wealth. Sadly, the young man did not understand, but\nleft Jesus because he had many possessions that he trusted in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus told His disciples how hard it was for the rich to\nenter God\u2019s kingdom. Why is it\nhard? Because tangle riches are easy to\ntrust in. They are something we can see,\nfeel, and place our confidence in. As\nfallen human beings, we don\u2019t like the unknown. \nWe love guarantees and hate risks. \nWe cling to the visible and shun the invisible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Later the disciple told Jesus, \u201cWe have left all the\nfollowed you.\u201d They got it. They truly did leave all and follow\nJesus. They learned to depend on God as\ntheir Source\u2026not their possessions or businesses. Because they learned the lesson of dependence\non God, Jesus said that they would enjoy 100 times more in this life<\/em> and eternal life as well. \nDependence on God as your Source will reward you more than any amount of\ntoil you go through to produce much less. \nThis doesn\u2019t mean that we do nothing. \nIt means in all we do, we trust God to supply all our needs. We trust Him to bless the work of our hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Lord reminded me of another time in the Bible that the\n100-times was mentioned. It was in\nGenesis 26 when Isaac sowed seed during a famine and reaped 100-times what he\nsowed. This was the same lesson, the\nlesson of dependence on God, the only one who gives growth. You see, Isaac sowed seed in an impossible\nsituation. No person in His right mind\nwould sow in a famine, during a drought. \nBut Isaac knew God and trusted Him. \nHe gave what he had (the seed) and his faith in his Source caused the land\nto produce 100 times what Isaac offered in seed. This too is a story of dependence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t think anything is impossible. With us alone, yes, things can be impossible. But not with God. ALL THINGS are possible with Him; when He is our Source. Do you want to enter God\u2019s kingdom and enjoy ALL of His riches? Sell all you depend on and follow Him!<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Remember the Lord your God for it is He who give you the power the create wealth.” ~Deuteronomy 8:18<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Is wealth bad? Is Jesus condemning wealth? That is what most Christians think, but it is a false doctrine! 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