Mark 10:17-22
New International Version
The Rich and the Kingdom of God 17 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?” 18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’[a]” 20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” 21 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.” 22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Wednesday - October 13
As you read this again, remember the children who came to Jesus and how they are the model citizen in God’s kingdom. Kids don’t care that much about wealth, prosperity, or “stuff” in general. They do fight with their siblings over “my” toy. But, at the end of the day, they are not very concerned about wealth. Lots of parents have had the experience of buying an expensive toy for a child’s birthday or Christmas only to watch them spend all day playing with the box instead of the toy! We are God’s children and God has promised to take care of us! True Christian freedom is freedom from all the false gods and idols that we put our hope in, such as wealth. Jesus sets us free from the fear, anxiety, and toil for “more.”