Matthew 19, Mark 10, and Luke 18 all tell the same story of a man who came to Jesus asking what deeds he could do to have eternal life. After a brief discussion of keeping the commandments, Jesus finally says to the man:
"Then there is only one thing left to do: Sell everything you own and give it away to the poor. You will have riches in Heaven. Then come, follow me." [Luke 18:22, The Message translation]
How often we read those words but still hang onto all our things. How many of us have sold all we own? Not me, I know that much. I think that is why, when the man walked away in sorrow and heavy-hearted, Jesus told his disciples that it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man (or woman) to enter the Kingdom. Because he knows how hard it is for us to trust that we can let go of all of our unimportant "stuff" and dedicate our lives to loving others.
You know, it only takes giving up a small portion of our wealth to care for at least one who needs it. My prayer for this weekend and the Compassion Sunday that will be celebrated around the globe is that many, many hearts will be burdened to sponsor a child in need and change the story for that child.
If you would like to sponsor a child, please visit www.compassion.com today and change a life forever.
"Then there is only one thing left to do: Sell everything you own and give it away to the poor. You will have riches in Heaven. Then come, follow me." [Luke 18:22, The Message translation]
How often we read those words but still hang onto all our things. How many of us have sold all we own? Not me, I know that much. I think that is why, when the man walked away in sorrow and heavy-hearted, Jesus told his disciples that it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man (or woman) to enter the Kingdom. Because he knows how hard it is for us to trust that we can let go of all of our unimportant "stuff" and dedicate our lives to loving others.
You know, it only takes giving up a small portion of our wealth to care for at least one who needs it. My prayer for this weekend and the Compassion Sunday that will be celebrated around the globe is that many, many hearts will be burdened to sponsor a child in need and change the story for that child.
If you would like to sponsor a child, please visit www.compassion.com today and change a life forever.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete