It was a sad day when that young man
walked away from the Lord because he could not bear to part with his riches. His
response tells us what can happen if we put our focus on riches and affluence. Hear
what the Lord said to His disciples when that young man walked away from Him. “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to
enter the kingdom of God!” The disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus answered
again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of
God! 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.”
This is a remarkable statement. The
Lord used a hyperbole to prove His point. Everyone knows that it is impossible
for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. No camel ever passed through
the eye of a literal needle in the history of humanity. It never had in the day
of the Lord and never is now and never will be. Even a fool in the right sense
of mind knows that one can never get a camel to pass through the eye of a
needle. That accounts for why the disciples were so bewildered. The only thing
left in response to this unbelieving statement was to look at each other and
ask, “Who then can be saved?” They knew what the Lord was implying and so came
the question. The Lord’s response was, “With people it is impossible, but not
with God, for all things are possible with God.”
How is relying on riches dangerous to
faith? First, it destroys pure trust in the Lord and eternity. It creates
concerns for things that are of less value. Wealth only considers the “here and
now” but not the “there and then.” The main concern when one has a lot of
wealth at his disposal would be: the nice house to get, the places to go, the people
to mix with, the nice clothes to buy, and the profitable shares to acquire, and
the list can go on endlessly. It may not be wrong but it’s time consuming and also
a great distraction from things eternal. Riches tend to destroy simplicity.
Riches also has a way to make one unteachable.
It develops in a person the spirit of self-sufficiency. It builds a false sense
of hope, of power and authority. Affluence and wealth has the uncanny ability
to make one arrogant. Besides, riches and affluence enslave people who are
overly attached to them. People who had attained a lifestyle brought by riches often
find it hard to give up. Instead of owning their wealth they are owned by their
wealth. Their spirit becomes dull, not receptive and unresponsive to the goading
of the Spirit of God.
Praise the Lord! With Him there’s no
impossibility. God can break a person’s bondage to wealth and affluence. And He
does it a lot of the time with His grace. Despite great wealth, many had felt
empty and meaningless and God’s grace and light just shone through. Sometimes
grace shines through their unusual happenings, crises or calamities and a
person would be brought to his knees before the Lord. As far as acquiring eternal
life is concerned, God has demonstrated great fairness. Rich or poor, the only
way to God is Christ Jesus. There’s no advantage for a rich man and no
disadvantage for a poor person.
It’s timely to hear the Word of the
Lord to the church in Laodicea in Revelation 3:17, “Because you say, ‘I am
rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,’ and you do not know
that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.” Let’s divest
ourselves of the influence of the world and invest our time and riches in the
agenda of His Kingdom!
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