(This is Part 1 of a 2 part devotional column.)
“All things are possible with God” (Mark 10:17-31.)
Today, Jesus teaches us kingdom lessons knowing the Cross of Calvary is quickly approaching. We look at the cost of discipleship; particularly, how we expend the resources God has entrusted to us for the short time that we live here on God’s good earth. We also find joy in the blessed assurance that “all things are possible with God.
There are so many ways for us to spend resources (money, time, gifts, and talents), which God has given us. Hundreds of satellite and cable television stations, podcasts, surfing the internet; and, there is gardening, golfing, shopping, dining out, sports events, travel; and, job commitments, so that there is no time for kingdom building.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
How does Jesus expect us to live holy, when the world has so many distractions? We find Jesus having this conversation with a young man whom we can all identify with and later with His disciples. What can we learn from these encounters?
A young man runs to Jesus throwing himself at Jesus’s feet asking, “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus said, “You know the commandment: not kill, commit adultery, steal, bear false witness, and obey mom and dad…” The young man is full of excitement saying, “Teacher, I have kept all these from my youth.” Jesus lovingly said, “You lack one thing: Go, sell all that you have and give it to the poor and you’ll have treasure in heaven, then come! Follow Me!” Joy quickly turned to sadness as the young man left for he had many possessions.
Our enthusiasm and excitement, the truths we learn in Sunday School, in worship and in Bible Study call us to holiness, sacrificial living, which can be accomplished by sharing with others our time, talents and resources.
Our purpose as a Christian is to love God and neighbor as ourselves. Our time is not really our time, for Jesus paid the price for us on Calvary, so we can experience abundant life. Our resources (money, time, material possessions, gifts and talents) are not our own. They are temporary resources, which God has entrusted to us to help make the world a better place for everyone. The entire earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. Jesus wants all of humanity to experience what we experience: shalom (peace, wholeness, completeness, health, and safety).
Next, we encounter Jesus and his disciples. Jesus says, “How difficult it is for those who trust in money to enter the Kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. (The Eye of the Needle was a narrow gateway into Jerusalem. Since camels were heavily loaded with goods and riders in biblical times, they would need to be unloaded in order to pass through the eye.) A rich man would have to unload his material possessions in order to enter heaven.
The cost of being a disciple is worth the amazing agape love of our Triune God. Our icing on the delicious cake of life is the Body of Christ walking in harmony with us, a support system like us, human and vulnerable. This life with God is truly abundant.
The Rev. Edna Morgan is pastor of St. Luke United Methodist Church in Pine Bluff. Her husband, David Morgan, is a retired pastor in the Arkansas Conference, and together, they established a 501(c) (3) non-profit retreat center, Healing Place Ministries, in 2004, that serves the Pine Bluff and Jefferson County areas.
Editor’s note: Pastors, ministers or other writers interested in writing for this section may submit articles for consideration to shope@adgnewsroom.com. Writers should have connections to Southeast Arkansas. Please include your name, phone number and the name and location of your church or ministry.