"But when the young man heard the saying, he went away sorrowful; for he was one that had great possessions." Matt 19:21
It can hardly be argued that we live in society that esteems material possessions highly. People who have accumulated great wealth are often placed on pedestals. Their "wrongs" are overlooked and their "rights" are magnified. Many of us aspire to be like them or to position ourselves close to them in the hopes that we can somehow come close to their lifestyle. Earthly wealth and success however, can be an amazingly short term thing. Jesus said in Matt 19:24, "It is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."
Moses, when faced with the decision to continue living in the lap of luxury or sacrifice all in pursuit of God, willingly left the position, power and possessions of Egypt. The rich young ruler made a different choice. While Moses looked forward to Christ, the young ruler spoke to him face to face. When he was told to leave his possessions in order to gain heaven, he famously walked away.
Beloved, we must all be acutely aware that our present is not our future. Whether abjectly poor or fabulously opulent, we must all know that an eternity with the Father will be beyond what we have the ability to conceive. Nothing that we possess in this present time should be allowed to keep us from that future. Put another way, don't let anything on earth keep you out of heaven.
[Memory verse of the week: Phi 3:13-14]
In Revival,
Lee
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