A Rich Man's Gospel

Read: Genesis 18-19; Mark 10

“And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, ‘How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God.’” Mark 10:23

Examine:

The rich young ruler loved the thought of serving God but was not too keen on what it would cost him. In the end he judged the cost as being too high and so he returned to his normal life. He traded what was comfortable for what was divine.

Apply:

It is easy to sit in judgment over this young man until I really peel this passage back and examine my own heart. The first thing I need to deal with is my definition of wealth. In terms of American wealth I am not a wealthy person. I am parked somewhere in between the haves and the have-nots. That makes it easy for me to pass judgment on this man and the people I consider to be wealthy and not apply this text to my own life. This line of thinking is broken.

If your household income is more than $25,000 a year you are in the top 10% of the world’s wealthy. If your household income is more than $50,000 then you are in the top 1% of the worlds wealthy. God does not judge me as an American. He sees me as one part of the whole and in that context I am considered part of the wealthy who have a hard time entering the kingdom of God.

Pray:

Father, I want your kingdom but I do fear the cost. There are places in my heart that I hold back. I do not want to be tested. I do not like being tried. I want to keep what is mine and then see You add to it. I want my experience of following You to bless me and prosper me. I want a rich man’s gospel and that is a gospel that is simply broken.

Help me return to a child-like faith today. I sit with you and fully admit that I do not even know what that means. Jesus, you instructed me to have this type of faith and so I know that You will teach it to me in Your time and in Your way. I pray that the eyes of my heart be open.

Help me hold on to my wealth with an open hand. Being wealthy is not an issue. It is being close-handed with what is mine that causes problems. I do not want to become some comfortable with what is mine that I start to feel secure in it. Nothing in my life is mine to posses. You have given it to me to invest it and make the most of it. I must not allow it control over my decision to follow You.

Help me live my life to serve. Things work differently in Your kingdom. Selfish ambition is called drive in my society. It is a strength that is rewarded. It has been taught to me from a young age and it is a core of who I am. In my world it serves me well. In Your world, it gets in the way. I cannot be a part of Your Kingdom until I am content to wash the feet of others as I freely give my life away on their behalf.