"Then Peter said to Him, 'We've given up everything to follow You. What will we get?' Jesus replied, 'I assure you that when the world is made new and the Son of Man sits upon His glorious throne, you who have been My followers will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for My sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life. But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then'."
(Matthew 19:27-30 NLT)
Hello, Mrs. Kurtz.
Wow! Your most recent post might be my favorite one yet! There is just so much to chew on which I love! I've been thinking about it and researching and writing down my thoughts all day.
Jesus instructed the man to give up his wealth because He knew that this was what the man clung to the most. Jesus did not necessarily need him to give up his money, but He was testing the man's willingness to "submit" (the scary word) to God and give up what was most important to him--wealth--in order to follow Jesus. Jesus challenged where the man's heart was. Not everyone will struggle with the same issue--we all have different "idols," but this passage can be applied to anything that we hold above Christ.
The interesting thing about Matthew 19:16-30 is that it addresses the importance of following God not just externally with actions, but also internally, by following the Spirit. The man was following the law, but not the Spirit of God within him. This is shown by his unwillingness to give up his wealth; his intentions were off because he was holding onto what he valued and not what God values.
Peter and the other disciples responded differently than the rich man to God's call. When Jesus said, "Come, follow Me," they literally dropped their fishing nets and followed Jesus (Matthew 4:19-20). They left behind their jobs and any control they had over their lives to be disciples. (cont'd, next blog)
Dear friend,
The Scriptures are replete with tasty morsels to chew on, and you can enjoy them for the rest of your life. Keep diggin in!
You have correctly identified that "money" wasn't the issue keeping the man from having eternal life. Rather, he had a comfortable life because of the money, and Jesus called him to abandon that to follow Him. What was the money to him? Comfort, stability, security, future guarantees, perhaps even power and/or position. It was an idol; it was his "god" because it was where he placed his trust and found his happiness.
When Jesus told him to sell everything, Jesus was calling him to follow with NO PROMISES for the way things would unfold. This is what God wants for each of us: to follow Him with complete abandon, wanting Him more than anyone else or anything. (Here we are, back at "Surrender" and "Submit" again!)
By contrast, the disciples had given up everything to follow Jesus. The fishermen left their nets, the tax collector traded wealth and power. They wanted Jesus more. At times we cringe at Peter's forthright questioning: how dare he be so bold with Jesus? Yet we see that he was not chided for his question. Rather Jesus answered him, giving the disciples (and all of His followers, including you and me) an exciting peek into the eternal plan--Jesus promised His followers that in heaven all would be made right. And more than "right," all would be overwhelming joy! It would be worth it all.
The disciples would all face choices again, much like the rich man. Some are recorded for us; I have a feeling that many more transpired that we'll never know. Here are some related passages:
Luke 9: 1-6, 21-27, 46-48, 57-62
John 6
John 18
John 21
As this blog is getting long, I'll have to end soon and pick up at another time. But I want to give you some other passages with a call to follow:
Genesis 12 (Abram)
Isaiah 6 (Isaiah)
Amos 7: 14-15 (Amos)
Jonah 1 (Jonah)
Acts 9: 1-9 (Saul/Paul)
Acts 9: 10-19 (Ananias)
I'm leaving my closing in here from the last blog, because I think it is still relevant to our discussion. Let us prayerfully consider it some more.
God wants all of us, but it is not a malevolent, manipulative control. He wants to fill us, to dwell in us. What He wants is for our GOOD. Unfortunately (and this is always what gets me), it does not guarantee a happy, pain-free life. Again, I am faced with a decision: Do I trust God fully?
As this is getting long, I'm going to end here for now, with a promise to come back and adress your questions about willfully holding onto our sins. But, I'm putting below several links. I'd love for you to spend some time with these external resources. Know that I am praying for you.
Heavenly Father, will You show us the things in our life that we cherish more than You?
Hello, Mrs. Kurtz.
Wow! Your most recent post might be my favorite one yet! There is just so much to chew on which I love! I've been thinking about it and researching and writing down my thoughts all day.
Jesus instructed the man to give up his wealth because He knew that this was what the man clung to the most. Jesus did not necessarily need him to give up his money, but He was testing the man's willingness to "submit" (the scary word) to God and give up what was most important to him--wealth--in order to follow Jesus. Jesus challenged where the man's heart was. Not everyone will struggle with the same issue--we all have different "idols," but this passage can be applied to anything that we hold above Christ.
The interesting thing about Matthew 19:16-30 is that it addresses the importance of following God not just externally with actions, but also internally, by following the Spirit. The man was following the law, but not the Spirit of God within him. This is shown by his unwillingness to give up his wealth; his intentions were off because he was holding onto what he valued and not what God values.
Peter and the other disciples responded differently than the rich man to God's call. When Jesus said, "Come, follow Me," they literally dropped their fishing nets and followed Jesus (Matthew 4:19-20). They left behind their jobs and any control they had over their lives to be disciples. (cont'd, next blog)
Dear friend,
The Scriptures are replete with tasty morsels to chew on, and you can enjoy them for the rest of your life. Keep diggin in!
You have correctly identified that "money" wasn't the issue keeping the man from having eternal life. Rather, he had a comfortable life because of the money, and Jesus called him to abandon that to follow Him. What was the money to him? Comfort, stability, security, future guarantees, perhaps even power and/or position. It was an idol; it was his "god" because it was where he placed his trust and found his happiness.
When Jesus told him to sell everything, Jesus was calling him to follow with NO PROMISES for the way things would unfold. This is what God wants for each of us: to follow Him with complete abandon, wanting Him more than anyone else or anything. (Here we are, back at "Surrender" and "Submit" again!)
By contrast, the disciples had given up everything to follow Jesus. The fishermen left their nets, the tax collector traded wealth and power. They wanted Jesus more. At times we cringe at Peter's forthright questioning: how dare he be so bold with Jesus? Yet we see that he was not chided for his question. Rather Jesus answered him, giving the disciples (and all of His followers, including you and me) an exciting peek into the eternal plan--Jesus promised His followers that in heaven all would be made right. And more than "right," all would be overwhelming joy! It would be worth it all.
The disciples would all face choices again, much like the rich man. Some are recorded for us; I have a feeling that many more transpired that we'll never know. Here are some related passages:
Luke 9: 1-6, 21-27, 46-48, 57-62
John 6
John 18
John 21
As this blog is getting long, I'll have to end soon and pick up at another time. But I want to give you some other passages with a call to follow:
Genesis 12 (Abram)
Isaiah 6 (Isaiah)
Amos 7: 14-15 (Amos)
Jonah 1 (Jonah)
Acts 9: 1-9 (Saul/Paul)
Acts 9: 10-19 (Ananias)
- What similarities and differences do you see in the passages where people are called?
- What is Jesus calling you to surrender to/for Him? Do you want Him, trust Him, love Him enough to surrender it to Him?
I'm leaving my closing in here from the last blog, because I think it is still relevant to our discussion. Let us prayerfully consider it some more.
Will I surrender all of me to the Lord?
Will I kneel and submit to His Lordship in my life?
Will I relinquish control of the future?
Do I want Jesus more than I want ANYTHING ELSE?
As this is getting long, I'm going to end here for now, with a promise to come back and adress your questions about willfully holding onto our sins. But, I'm putting below several links. I'd love for you to spend some time with these external resources. Know that I am praying for you.
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