03/25/2024
Pastor's Monday Morning Bread at the Table
Where Our Priorities Lie
Mark 10:17-27 KJV
[17] And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? [18] And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. [19] Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. [20] And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. [21] Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. [22] And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. [23] And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! [24] And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! [25] It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. [26] And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? [27] And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
The biggest problem for the rich young ruler was that his priorities were out of order. The one thing he really lacked goes back to the first few commandments with God being number one and having no other gods before Him. His riches were too important to him. For many, this would be a struggle.
To see and feel the security you have with plenty can bring good comfort. However, what kept him up at night was worry that it still wasn't enough to make him feel secure. You have to remember in this story, the young man approached Jesus, because he was still concerned with the possibility of his life still not being good enough to inherit eternal life.
Jesus loved him so much to tell him the truth, knowing that he wouldn't like, nor accept the answer. I believe if that young man caught a glimpse of what eternal life looked like, he might've re-prioritized to make God number one.
God wants us to depend on Him which leads to further trust in Him. I know in the natural, it can get worrisome because we see what we have and what's pulling at our resources. Jesus was conveying a message that the rich young ruler lacked total trust and dependence upon the Lord.
But with this priority out of order, even though he was fulfilling other commandments that dealt with treatment of others, he still lacked in those areas, because he refused to sell all he had and then turn around and give that to others. The cross for him to bear was too much that he refused to accept that truth.
Many times in our lives, we will cry out to the Lord for help, guidance, advice, and even find solace in His written Word (The Bible). Yet we still lack things because we refuse to do exactly what we know we ought to do. Friends, if God is not priority number one, everything else will always be out of order and we will never do the right thing as we should.
Paul preached about this in Romans 7 when he talked about the good he would do, he does it not because of the evil he allows to rule in his life. And the evil that he wouldn't do, he finds himself doing. Therefore, the one solution was to die and put off the carnel nature of this flesh. Repent and turn to God. Trust Him with your life. I can attest, He will never let you down.
I would say, if you told me He did let you down, I would ask, how long did you give Him or trust Him to lift you up? Jesus loves you, just as He loved that rich young ruler, but the choice was still that young man's decision to throw off everything that got him feeling insecure about himself and running to Jesus, or to reject the instructions because it wasn't what he wanted to hear.
The choice is yours today and I believe the Lord has spoken to you concerning your priorities. What will you choose? Choose you wisely this day, whom you will serve and trust who you choose not only with your life, but your eternity.
~Pastor Ron