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Day 78 Luke 18:18 Luke 18:18 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 19 And Jesus said unto him, Why call thou me good? None is good, save one, that is, God. 20 Thou know the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor thy father and thy mother. 21 And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. 22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lack thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. 23 And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. 24 And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 26 And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? 27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. 28 Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee. 29 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake, 30 Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting. What is most important to you? Money, possessions, social position, status, friends, family, spouse, all these have places of importance in a person’s life. Is God important to you? Is where you will spend eternity important to you? A ruler and wealthy man came to Jesus to ask him how he could have eternal life. Jesus’ answer appealed to the man’s social status and made him feel good about how he lived his life in keeping the commandments. When the ruler told Jesus, he did all those things, Jesus then appealed to that part of him hardest to do, sell everything he had and give it to the poor and follow him. The ruler wasn’t ready to do that because he was wealthy. He didn’t want to give up what he had to follow Jesus. In not giving up his possessions, he made a god out of them, therefore sinning against the First Commandment, Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Also, the Second Commandment, Thou shalt not make a graven image or bow down to it. Money was his graven image and he bowed down to it, putting it above everything else in his life. As Christians, you also fall short when it comes to what is important to you. Whenever someone asks you to do something, and your schedule is too busy to clear it for even a short time. When it comes to spending time with God in prayer and Bible study, you can’t find the time in your busy schedule to commit one hour to him. Though you feel good about giving your one hour on Sunday morning. Before you put on an attitude that you are better than that young ruler who didn’t want to give up his wealth, check your heart and see where you fall short, and determine to make time for God and others when they need your help. I assure you, when you do, you will find your time opens up and you will have more than enough time to take care of everything in your busy schedule. God – Others – Self. Remember what Jesus told the person who asked him what the greatest commandment was. He said it was to love God first, and then your neighbor. Matthew 22:35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (KJV) When Peter told Jesus, they had done what Jesus told the ruler to do, Jesus told him, those who followed Jesus first, would receive much more in this life than could be imagined and eternal life. Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (KJV) God doesn’t take anything away from you when you follow him, but he adds blessings to your life. Many people are like the ruler, believing that giving up what they value most will cause them to lose everything. They don’t realize, they lose nothing, and gain everything. What do you value most in your life? What is important to you? Have your priorities changed? Let’s pray: Father, help me give you first, seeking you with all I am, so you can bless me with more than I can imagine or conceive possible. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 8 November 2018 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay