The Heart Of A Servant

Read: Mark 10:17-27

Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard 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!” Mark 10:24-25

IN WORD

If God were opposed to wealth, He would never have given it to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, David, Solomon, and many others He loved. Neither would He have called it a blessing at several points in His Word. It’s true that many passages of Scripture decry riches, but they always do so in the context of people who have been seduced by them. In itself, wealth can be an enormous blessing.

So why does Jesus emphasize how difficult it is for a rich person to enter the Kingdom? Because the Kingdom is easily obscured by other agendas, and the agenda of earning money is one of the strongest pulls known to man. The King is our master, and Jesus made it clear that no one can serve two masters. The King isn’t opposed to money, but we can’t seek Him wholeheartedly if our eyes are full of dollar signs—or status, position, achievements, possessions, or a certain lifestyle. We can work hard and accept the opportunities and provisions given to us. We can even have ambitious financial goals. But we can never place our trust in them, prioritize them above eternal treasures, let them undermine our relationships, or be crushed if they don’t work out. We have to seek the Kingdom above all else.

The point is this: Entering the Kingdom is a matter of trust and priorities, and people with money skew these far more easily than others do. The idea that wealth satisfies our souls is a deadly lie. It doesn’t. Only the King can do that.

IN DEED

If you build wealth, do it for the Kingdom. Never let it be an end in itself, or even a means to your own happiness. Let it be a tool for funding the Kingdom, enjoying the Kingdom, and bringing others into the Kingdom. Remember that money serves you, you don’t serve money. You serve God alone.

ADDITIONAL READING: Matthew 6:24

The real measure of our wealth is how much we’d be worth if we lost all our money.

JOHN HENRY JOWETT