The Achiever

Would you be willing to give up all your possessions in order to go to heaven? When a man once asked Jesus how to inherit eternal life, Jesus told him to sell everything he had. However, he was unwilling to go that far. How many of us would also be reluctant to give away everything we own? How, then, is it possible for us to enter the kingdom of heaven?

Scripture: Mark 10:17-31
As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good – except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”

“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “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.”

The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

Peter said to him, “We have left everything to follow you!”

“I tell you the truth,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields – and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Renewing Reflections
It is our prayer Renewing Reflections will be a blessing in your life this coming week. This quote is taken from the sermon “The Danger of Success“ delivered on Christian Crusaders August 5, 2001.

In this parable, God has not spoken against success. He just warns us of it’s dangers unless our plans fit into the plans He has for us. Success can inflate our ego to the point that we are obnoxious and no one will care to be around us. Or it can distort our sense of values so that we fail to hear Jesus saying, “Your salvation rests in knowing me personally as your Savior and Lord.”

A Quick Way to Start Your Day on an Uplifting Note
ChristianCrusaders.org features a daily devotion, front and center on the site’s home page, where you can immediately find food for spiritual thought anytime you need it. Then visit the Faith Links page for further Bible helps!

On the Light Side
Roger had recently begun waiting tables in a busy restaurant. One Friday night the owner suddenly emerged from the kitchen and handed Roger some money. “We're in trouble!” He said. “We’re out of quarters, and customers are waiting. Go next door and get me $40 worth.”

Roger ran to the supermarket next door, but the cashier said she wasn’t allowed to give out that many quarters. Determined, he sprinted to a convenience store two blocks away, but it was closed. At a gas station farther down the road, the clerk took pity and gave him the four rolls of quarters.

Twenty minutes after he’d left, Roger handed the coin rolls to his boss. “Where are the quarters?” he asked.

“Right here,” Roger said breathlessly.

His face sank. “I meant chicken hindquarters.”

The program "The Achiever" will air Sunday, October 11, 2009. Visit http://www.christiancrusaders.org/ for radio stations and times, or to listen online.