Is It Worth It?

12-23-2009
Is It Worth It?

The world tempts us to put our faith in the temporal; be it money, power, fame, etc. Matthew 19 is very clear in that nothing temporal leads to eternity in Heaven. In fact, it not only doesn’t lead to eternity in Heaven, but can lead us far from the path God’s called us to follow.
Matthew 19:16-30 says the following:

“16Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"
17"Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."
18"Which ones?" the man inquired.
Jesus replied, " 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'
20"All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?"
21Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
22When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, 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."
25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?"
26Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
27Peter answered him, "We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?"
28Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 30But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.”
There’s nothing wrong with having nice things and making a lot of money. The key is to stay focused on making Christ famous and not self. If your focus comes on gaining material wealth and power, you are 100% lost and missing the purpose of life! Christ called us to be selfless givers, not selfish takers. When it’s time to meet your maker, He isn’t going to care how big your bank account is or the size of your home. He wants to see Christ like service and purity. Again, there’s nothing wrong with having nice things, as long as that’s not your focus. If having nice things keeps you tied down, you may want to reconsider just how important those things are. My prayer for you is that God will bless you financially so that you may give abundantly!
A
pplication:
1. Read Matthew 19:16-30
2. Where’s your focus?