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Day 55 Matthew 19:16-30 Matthew 19:16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 17 And he said unto him, Why call thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. 18 He said unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, 19 Honor thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 20 The young man said unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? 21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. 23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? 26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. 27 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? 28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. 30 But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first. Many people grapple with the question of salvation, going to heaven, and how to get there. Everyone wants to go to heaven, but the word they use is hope. They hope they will go to heaven one day. It wasn’t heaven the rich man asked Jesus about, it was eternal life. Jesus told him what he expected to hear, obey the commandments. It is interesting to note which commandments Jesus told him to obey, the ones regarding morality. For most of us, it’s easy to obey the commandments Jesus told the rich man to follow. What wasn’t easy, and still isn’t easy today, is giving up your prized possessions and following Jesus. Everyone has things they consider important and beyond giving up. However, when you look at your prized possessions in light of eternity, it doesn’t hold the value you thought it did. Peter was surprised with Jesus’ answer to the rich man, and the subsequent answer about rich people having a hard time getting to heaven. He didn’t say it was impossible, only that it was hard. Many Christians believe they have the inside scoop on salvation and eternal life. Yet many Christians also have trouble with giving up their prized possessions. Jesus told his disciples it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter eternal life. Note, Peter didn’t question the impossibility of the eye of a needle, just how hard it would be to receive salvation. It was many years into my walk with the Lord, when I learned about the needle gate. One of the many gates leading into Jerusalem is called the needle gate because it’s the smallest of all gates. In order to enter the gate, the camel must be stripped of everything. It was the only way a camel could get through the gate. Jesus told his disciples they had to strip themselves of all their earthly possessions and follow him. When Peter replied they had done that, and followed him, Jesus told them, they would sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel when he returned in the regeneration. He also told them that in following him, they would receive everything they needed for this life, as well as eternal life. What have you given up to follow Jesus and obtain eternal life? Have you stripped yourself of everything you value in this life? Are you ready to give up everything to follow Jesus? Let’s pray: Father, help me give up everything holding me back from following you fully and receiving eternal life. Let my life be what you would have it be. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 13 June 2018 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay