Are you willing?

Are you willing

“Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” 
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” 
“Which ones?” the man inquired. Jesus replied, “ ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,  honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’’” 
“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” 
  Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. 
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  
  Again I tell you, 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.” 
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” 
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Matthew 19:16-26.
Are you truly committed to Christ? Are you willing to give up everything to spread the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ?
The rich man in the above incident with Jesus followed all the laws of Moses. He was obviously devout. But he had a flaw. He apparently loved his wealth. He relied it seemed on his wealth to keep him secure. This man was not willing to step out in faith and trust God for is daily needs.
It’s not that a rich person cannot be saved. Like Jesus said “...with God all things are possible.”
But it takes faith to be saved. The apostle Paul states,
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast.” 
                                                                    Ephesians 2:8,9.
The rich man’s wealth did not save him nor did his following the laws of Moses. It is true faith in God that saves us. Abraham didn’t have the law of Moses and he was called a friend of God and was saved,
James the brother of Jesus noting,
“Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?  
You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.  
And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend.” 
                                                              James 2:21-23.
God wants us to have faith in Him not in the wealth we have.
The writer of Hebrews states,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” 
                                                                                                                            Hebrews 11:1
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
                                                                                                    Hebrews 11:6.
Please think about it.

Are you willing?

Are you willing?
“Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” 
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” 
“Which ones?” the man inquired. Jesus replied, “ ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,  honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’’” 
“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” 
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. 
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  
Again I tell you, 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.” 
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” 
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 
Matthew 19:16-26.
Here is a simple story about faith in Christ. It comes down to what you consider the most important thing in life, God or your possessions and lifestyle.
This young man had wealth, the wealth bought him a good lifestyle.
Intellectually he obeyed the law but that it seems is where it ends. He didn’t have the faith to give up all he owned and follow Christ. He lacked the faith that if he followed Christ, God would supply his needs.
Now let me make things clear hear there is nothing wrong with being rich. Paul writing to Timothy says,
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” 
                                                                                         1 Timothy 6:10.
This I think was part of the problem with the young man who came to Christ. He loved his money, his possessions. His faith was in his possessions.
There are a lot of wealthy people in the church today as there was in the early church. It was the wealthy in the early church that help fund its expansion. The church needs people who are willing to give of their wealth to help with Evangelism and the building up of the church.
Still a true person of faith should not be relying on their material goods. Their faith like everyone else’s should be in God.
The hardest thing a person can do is follow Christ by faith especially if you’re use to having wealth. But if you put your trust truly in God you will not be let down. He will supply all your needs.
So dear Christian where is your faith?
Think about it.