City Life Starter

Written by Stefan Johnsson

The Word

¹⁸ And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ¹⁹ And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. ²⁰ You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” ²¹ And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.” ²² When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” ²³ But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. ²⁴ Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ For 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.” ²⁶ Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” ²⁷ But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” ²⁸ And Peter said, “See, we have left our homes and followed you.” ²⁹ And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, ³⁰ who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.”

Luke 18:18-30

Reflection

All of the writers for this week have done a great job in being diplomatic with their words. Me, not so much. Jesus can be quite…straight-forward with His words at times, so I will try my best to do the same.

In Luke 18, Jesus is approached by a rich young ruler who asks Him how he can receive eternal life. See, this man was not after God, but after the benefits that eternal life would bring. He was raised to do what is right and followed all the rules of the Torah (or so he thought). Yet, Jesus, who knew the heart of this man was not after God, said for him to sell all his possessions and follow Him. The man had a choice: Choose his earthly righteousness and possessions or to let it go and follow God. His answer was evident when he walked away sad. Possessions and wealth was the man’s idol of worship, not God.

Wealth and possessions are major obstacles for people in putting their faith in God. Jesus said as much when the man left, “How difficult it is for those with wealth to enter the Kingdom of God!” Yes, wealth in itself, is a big reason why people do not accept God and why people who say they are Christian, are unwilling to share or sell what they have to help those in need. Same can be said in the parable about the Rich Man and Lazarus (see Luke 16). When there is no sharing of what God has given you for those in need, then there has become a hardness of heart.

The U.S. is the most wealthy nation on earth. It is a place where many people call themselves Christians, but live like the rich young ruler. They claim goodness on the outside but their hearts are full of greed. Hoarding and buying material possessions has almost become like a birthright.

Thankfully, just being rich doesn’t mean you won’t go to heaven. As Jesus said, “What is impossible with man, is possible with God.” God can and has used those who are rich to further His kingdom. Those whose hearts are for God.

Application

We all have to ask ourselves if we are willing to give all we have for God’s kingdom, because in the end, we are born with nothing and will return to the earth with nothing. Then we will judged by God for all what we did on earth.

The more possessions you accumulate on earth, the harder it is to give and serve God. It also leaves you with less money. Now, is this the best way to steward what God gives you? Use what you have been given by God wisely, and look to serve Him, not yourself.

Prayer

Father in heaven, help me to be generous and willing to give of what You have given me. All I have is Yours. Let me be a good steward and to live a life of generosity, giving when Your Spirit leads me. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.