Day 28 - Week 4 Day 7 Sell Everything?

Today's reading (Bible in 1 year)

Genesis 39:19 - 41:13
Psalm 26
Isaiah 24
Matthew 19:1-26

Yesterday, I talked about God being responsible for judgment, while our role is to forgive. In Isaiah 24, Isaiah presents a prophecy of the end. Be aware that God will judge, and His justice is right and good. Some may have questions about the justice and wrath of a loving God, but that is a question for another day. In Psalm 26, David says to the LORD in verses 2 and 3, “Examine me, O LORD, and try me; test my mind and my heart. For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes.”

Sylvia and I have been married for 25½ years now. The home we are currently in is our seventh home. None of these moves were planned (apart from moving to the bed and breakfast). For the most part, our moves happened because of poor financial management on our part, and we would find ourselves in a financial hole. Selling our home would provide an out to our financial predicament. God always provided during these times, and we have financially done very well when selling. All that being said, we’ve had to learn to hold on to things loosely.

Some of these homes have carried the signatures of Sylvia’s mosaic artwork. You can check out this artwork at the following link:
https://www.sylviapauls.com/past-works
These works have all been left behind at previous homes.

I’ve mentioned a number of times while writing this blog that it is the mind and the heart, specifically, that matter.

Matthew 20, verses 16–26, tells us the story often referred to as the rich young ruler. It is the story of a very wealthy man who comes to Jesus and asks what good thing he can do to inherit eternal life. Jesus responds, “Keep the commandments.” The man asks which ones, and Jesus responds with a list of commandments. The man says he has followed them and then asks what he is still lacking. Jesus responds, “Sell all your possessions and give to the poor… then come follow me.”

You see, Jesus looks right into the heart. There was something standing between the man and Jesus. The one thing the man would not part with was his wealth.  Jesus' answer caused the man to go away grieving.  That’s why we should hold on to things loosely. If all good things come from God, then they really are God’s. We must be ready to let those things go.

Giving what is ours, is difficult. That’s why Jesus says, “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.”

Yeah, right!!! That’s impossible!!!

Correct! Verse 26 says, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Right there, Jesus tells us that we need Him to enter the kingdom of God.

The cost of following Jesus?

Surrender everything.  Follow Jesus.



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