100 Days of HopeSample

Rich Young Ruler

When Jesus suggests that it is easier for a 2,000 pound mammal to go through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter His Kingdom, it causes us—as affluent, American Christians—to stop in our tracks. Is Jesus being literal? Figurative? Dramatic?

Without fully answering that question, there is a nuance that we should not overlook in the rich young man’s question eliciting Jesus’ colorful response: “What must I do?”

Those words are strikingly different than “What can I do?” Perhaps the rich young man wanted to know the minimum requirements to be saved, so that he could enjoy the excess for himself. Perhaps his desire was not to serve God, but to satisfy his conscience.

In life, I find myself wanting to check items off my various lists. There’s nothing wrong with organization. The problem occurs when this mentality creeps into our spiritual life. We may not think it consciously, but oftentimes we want to do only what is required; no more, no less.

Let’s be clear: we do not enter the Kingdom of God through anything we do. Jesus already took care of that by dying on the cross. Our deeds should be a reflection of our desire to serve Him who saved us, as this is our “proper worship” (Romans 12:1). Today, give generously of your time, money, and talents; not for the purpose of being saved, but because you have been saved.

Prayer: Father, thank you that we are saved by your grace, not by what we do. Help us reflect your generosity on the cross in the way we give of our time, money, and talents.