Wednesday, March 22, 2022
Listen to the Word
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:25)
Most of us would strongly prefer having money over not having it, and we would prefer having more over having less. But Jesus warns us that money can prevent us from experiencing something even more valuable. He says that wealth can impede our entry into his Kingdom. And he doesn’t say it hinders it just a little – we are talking about “shoving a half-ton pack animal through a half-millimeter hole” level of difficulty. That’s a serious challenge! Jesus said elsewhere that the gate leading to life is narrow (Matthew 7:14). It makes sense that it would be tough to squeeze through a tight entrance if we are lugging bags full of earthly treasure.
The reason wealth makes it hard to enter the Kingdom is that entering the Kingdom requires complete reliance on Jesus. The more money we have, the more we tend to rely on money to meet our needs and keep us secure. The more money we have, the more susceptible we are to the mistaken idea that we will probably be just fine without Jesus.
Live the Word
Give away some money today. Do it as a spiritual discipline, asking God to use your act of giving to diminish the power money has over you.