Tight Squeeze

Read Proverbs 15

[Jesus] said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God! In fact, 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!”

Luke 18:24-25

There are two things here that we know Jesus was not trying to say. First of all, it is not impossible for rich people to be born again. God has blessed each one of us differently, and while one person may have been born in poverty, another may have been born into wealth. God can use people in all walks of life, no matter how much money they have. Surrendering our will to him, first, is imperative because unless we are born again, there is nothing we can do for God. Second, we do not need to be poor in order to be good Christians. The Bible does not say that we must sell everything we own in order to be holy.

That said, it is often much harder for wealthy people to be exposed to God’s Word and for it to sink in and take root. The problem lies most often with the distractions of the world. Cars, houses, schools, jobs, 401k plans—the amount of time spent each day worrying or thinking about money tends to outweigh devotional time. This is why having money makes it so hard to worship God—and why Jesus offered stern warnings to those with wealth.

A WORD FOR TODAY

Sometimes hard things are worth doing.

Today, Lord, help me to clear away the distractions and the lies of this world and focus on you and your eternal wisdom.