top of page

DAY 14 | MATTHEW 19

Matthew 19:23 And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say to you, 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.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” 26 And looking at them, Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”


This passage speaks first to the difficulty of entering the kingdom of heaven and secondly the impossibility of doing so through human effort alone. Indeed, Jesus speaks to this difficulty in an earlier passage saying, Matthew 7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it.


Jesus' challenge to us in Matthew 19 was to show that earthly wealth and success do not qualify or make it easier for us to enter the kingdom of heaven. As people we cannot get into heaven by either our good deeds, kind-heartedness, being good enough, or better than others. Jesus says it is impossible to enter the kingdom of heaven on our own, but for God all things are possible (Philippians 4:13). We need to trust in God and rely only on his grace which is more than sufficient and we need to follow Jesus. 


As you meditate on this word, I would like to challenge you on these questions: 


  1. What does it mean for you to rely on God's grace and to follow Jesus?

  2. Jesus shares the dangers of wealth and possessions, which can become a stumbling block or downfall if people cannot give them up to follow Jesus. What are some potential distractions, beliefs and other stumbling blocks in your life that will keep you from following Jesus?

  3. What are three things you need to release so you can be on the pathway of following Jesus? 


Brandon Woodard

Executive Pastor - Finance & Generosity

94 views0 comments

留言


Deeper 21

Daily Blog | January 1-21
bottom of page