Matthew 19:16-23 KJV
16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Money is a necessary commodity in life for trade goods and food. It something man values almost equally as faith. For some faith is more valuable then money for others it is not. Most that never experience the power of God beyond salvation will yearn for money more then faith. Our one time conversion experience in general may not be the driving force to sharing the Gospel, but it should be, for God has done something no man can do for your eternal life. Insurance only prepares for time of death and you not going to care what insurance does, because you are in either heaven as a believer in Christ. We might ask God what we can do for him, but prepare to be ask to do something you might need time to think upon. The easy yes Lord is not always so.

This short study in August is not to tell you to do this or that, it to help you understand there is times in our life God has prepared you to do something He asking, but you might not realize it at the time of asking. God's asking is more of command, yet the choice in many cases is still one's own choice to obey or disobey.

In Matthew it does not imply a rich man when the stories starts but in Luke 18 it does. Does it matter who asked the question? Not really because we can imply it to our own life, because what rich to one might not be to another. Yet the question came what must I do to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. One be careful how you ask Jesus your question? He went through the law and did not feel saved, though he kept the law from his youth. He kept the law but he understood the law itself could not save him. Jesus said based on his obedience to the law if you are perfect, then go and sell all you have and give to the poor. Then he said you will have treasures in heaven. The man went away sorrowfully, because he was a man of great wealth.

Jesus told you to sell everyhing would you? Proverbs 10:15 says "The rich man's wealth is his strong city: the destruction of the poor is his poverty." Every poor person that has a dime, will have it gone before the end of the day, because some bill collector will take his last dime. Rich store up and continue to store up for a rainy day. If a poor man tries to save he fighting a battle that very hard to win. Rich men have security that is not like a poor person. The security is like assurance in life that whatever comes along you do not have to worry about you life if it can be fixed. You can pay for medical treatments, and as long as there is food in the stores or in the open field you are not going to starve. You might even own your own land that may or may not produce crops. However there is storage, saving up food might be life saving. Even a poor man tries to do that even if it one can at a time. The natural instinct to store to gather is human instinct as much as a squirrel gathering nuts and things for winter.

The truth of matter even the poor have earthly treasurers, but when you hear in this story it a rich man, you know to sell it all and give it all to the poor, he will think, i can give a percent to the poor, and make more for the poor. That not what Jesus said to do. He told the richman to sell it all. What is Jesus talking about the heart of the man who had great possession that he valued the things that saved him on earth more then his eternal salvation.

God told Moses to instruct the people to not take more manna then they needed for the day. I be honest, I a person that might of disobeyed here and got caught, because I store groceries, but I do get low like everyone else does. Our internal instincts we wrestle with even when it comes to obedience to God. Will you go against the grain so to speak and help when God calls you to, to give up what you know to obey God. It something we have to be willing to do in faith. To go against the grain as God has asked you to obey him. Abraham was righteous by faith, justified by faith. This rich man did not have the faith to obey. Jesus hit the man in his achilles heel and he went away sad because of his riches. Jesus knew the heart of this man. God knows your heart, and whether it one faith and obedience to him or whether you are a child of disobedience to his will in your life. Did he tell all of us to sell all? However if that is what God has asked you to do will you do it?

Missionaries have given all up to follow Jesus in their call and mission work. Some have obeyed with wonderment to the point they truly did not know for certain if what God seem to be asking but decided to leaped anyway. And this is where God wants to strength not only faith, but wants you to learn to trust him. In truth he not going to send you out blindly you hae skills already for the job he requiring you to do, or skills will be learned on the road of faith. Don't worry about that. Be willing obey God and rely on his grace to fullfill your needs and wants in your life.

God may not require the same from you that he did the rich man but the obedience to his word is the same. Example of this would be Abraham was about to sacrifice his son when God gave him a ram to sacrifice in his place. God had required Abraham to offer his son on the altar. Abraham placed him on the altar and he found he did not have to loose his son, because he gave his son to God by just placing him there. He did hold back his Son that he treasured. He was willing to give it all to God and he was a rich man and could of given God many other things, but God required his son.

Where are we deciding when it comes to something God is requiring us to lay down between him and ourselves. Abraham knew God could raise his son even from the dead, so what God was requiring was not hard to give. He knew the power of his God. Money is only as powerful the next destructive forces that is already in our land that can and could one destroy it. Money can not provide everything, though for the moment it appears it might, do not lay your trust in money but lay your trust in God.

Dear Heavenly Father, bring us to the place we willing to give it all to you, by your command and the command of the world. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: Proverbs 10:15 KJV
15 The rich man's wealth is his strong city: the destruction of the poor is their poverty.

Luke 18:18-24 KJV
18 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
19 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.
20 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.
21 And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.
22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
23 And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.
24 And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!