Responding to Jesus: The Difficulty of Riches

Do you envy the rich? Jesus didn't. Instead, He pitied them. The reason is simple: Money makes a marvelous servant, but a terrible master. Trust in wealth keeps people outside the kingdom of God; only absolute trust in the work of Jesus allows us to be a part of God's family. "… how hard it is for those who trust in riches to inherit the kingdom of God." Mark 10:24 (NKJV) Jesus' response to the rich young ruler astonished His first disciples; they believed wealth and position were signs of God's pleasure. If a rich man was not qualified for God's kingdom, they wondered, how could anyone be qualified? Only God enables in sinners the kind of heart transformation that leads us to put Christ above all else – even our money. And all who surrender to Christ in this way are blessed beyond measure.