Counting on Other Stuff



Prayer: By all Your saints in warfare,
             For all Your saints at rest,

       Your holy name, O Jesus,
       Forevermore be blest!

         For You have won the battle,
       That they might wear the crown;
       And now they shine in glory,
       Reflected from Your throne.



Read: Mark 10:23–31

http://www.esvbible.org/Mark 10:23-31/


Think about It: Jesus tells some brilliant stories during His ministry years. He instructs His disciples with parables that help them understand the Kingdom of God in an entertaining fashion. One such parable is the  statement Jesus makes one day about what it takes to gain entrance into God’s Kingdom. He tells His followers that it would easier for a camel to make his way through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven. Suddenly, the disciples are forced to reexamine their beliefs about how one gets into heaven.


The bottom line of this short illustration is that no one is worthy to enter God’s Kingdom. The rich look pretty good on paper. They are generally clean, dressed well, have a good job, and by all appearance, they are blessed by God for some reason. Obviously, they must be good enough for heaven, right? But Jesus calls all of that into question. They are not good enough for no one is. But – with God, everything is possible; including entrance into God’s heaven. Rich and poor alike need a Savior. Rich and poor alike need a way to get in and the only Way is through Jesus Christ. Man judges on outward appearance, but God judges the heart. He alone can make that heart worthy to be a member of His kingdom. As usual, Jesus turns our ideas upside down. The disciples were probably slack-jawed when they heard this illustration.


If you are counting on your wealth for righteousness, you need to reevaluate. If you are counting on your good works to earn righteousness, you need to reevaluate. If you are counting on a “clean life” to earn righteousness, you need to reevaluate! There is only one path to righteousness and that is through the blood of Jesus. All that other stuff is useless before a holy God. Uncle Sam might want to see your W2, but God will not. God does it all. He demands righteousness from us and then He provides a path to obtain that righteousness through His Son. Only with God is this possible!



Prayer: Then let us praise the Father,
             And worship God the Son

       And sing to God the Spirit,
       Eternal Three in One,
       Till all the ransomed number,
       Fall down before the throne,
       Ascribing pow’r and glory,
       And praise to God alone.
By All Your Saints in Warfare. LSB 518. Public Domain

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