God is Limitless. We are not.
The Place of Grace (Day 1) // Prayer365
“Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” “Which ones?” he inquired. Jesus replied, “ ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”” Matthew 19:16-26 NIV
In our text we see a young man that approaches Jesus. He clearly desires to live a godly life and make into heaven so he inquires what he must do. Jesus tells him to keep the commandments, and the man confirms that he has kept the law but he can sense that there’s more and he asks “What do I still lack?” Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” This proved to be too much for the young man. Saddened, he walked away because he had great wealth.
There are several things Jesus said that I’d like to bring to our attention, the first being, “If you want to be perfect…” The word perfect, when used in the Bible, is not in the sense that we use it today such as being without flaw. Instead perfect means to be mature, fully grown or wanting nothing necessary to completeness. Jesus was letting this young man know that your perfection is not in your earthly gains, but in your heavenly gains. The truth is, no matter how much wealth he had on earth, it would never be enough to fill void in his heart. Some people believe this young man came to Jesus to be justified by his works, this may be true. But it’s also possible that he was seeking for fulfillment, that he was aware of a gaping hole in his heart and he was searching for more.
After the young man walked away, Jesus explains to the disciples that it’s difficult for someone who’s rich to make it into heaven. In fact, it’s easier for a camel to make it though the narrow passage called the eye of a needle than a rich man to make it into heaven. This shook them to their core and they wondered “Who then can be saved?” Jesus says something that I believe it’s important for all of us to know: “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Essentially what Jesus wants us to know is that God is limitless and we are not.
The Bible says that wherever a man’s treasure is, His heart is also (Luke 6:21). Often the things that we tie our hearts to are the things that have the greatest hold on us. For some it’s relationships, for others it’s title, position or status, and for some it’s money. No matter the thing, if it’s not tied to the limitless resources of heaven, it is limited.
By telling the young man to sell his possessions, give to the poor and follow Him, Jesus was making Him aware of his limitations. This turned out to be hard for him but what the young man didn’t know is that He who is limitless was standing before Him. His heart was tied to his wealth but he wanted to be perfect, he wanted to be mature. I want you to know that becoming mature is not easy, but the level of difficulty is determined by the posture and position of our hearts. I believe that the key to our maturity as believers is becoming aware of our own limitations and the limitlessness of God. The sooner we understand this, the better off we will be, the further we can go, the freer we become.
Grace is the place where we learn that God is limitless and we are not. This is the starting place for flowing in the Rhythms of God’s grace.
Prayer Focus: That we would embrace our limitations and flow in the limitlessness of God.
I'm praying for you and with you,
Pastor Enrique Brooks
In our text we see a young man that approaches Jesus. He clearly desires to live a godly life and make into heaven so he inquires what he must do. Jesus tells him to keep the commandments, and the man confirms that he has kept the law but he can sense that there’s more and he asks “What do I still lack?” Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” This proved to be too much for the young man. Saddened, he walked away because he had great wealth.
There are several things Jesus said that I’d like to bring to our attention, the first being, “If you want to be perfect…” The word perfect, when used in the Bible, is not in the sense that we use it today such as being without flaw. Instead perfect means to be mature, fully grown or wanting nothing necessary to completeness. Jesus was letting this young man know that your perfection is not in your earthly gains, but in your heavenly gains. The truth is, no matter how much wealth he had on earth, it would never be enough to fill void in his heart. Some people believe this young man came to Jesus to be justified by his works, this may be true. But it’s also possible that he was seeking for fulfillment, that he was aware of a gaping hole in his heart and he was searching for more.
After the young man walked away, Jesus explains to the disciples that it’s difficult for someone who’s rich to make it into heaven. In fact, it’s easier for a camel to make it though the narrow passage called the eye of a needle than a rich man to make it into heaven. This shook them to their core and they wondered “Who then can be saved?” Jesus says something that I believe it’s important for all of us to know: “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Essentially what Jesus wants us to know is that God is limitless and we are not.
The Bible says that wherever a man’s treasure is, His heart is also (Luke 6:21). Often the things that we tie our hearts to are the things that have the greatest hold on us. For some it’s relationships, for others it’s title, position or status, and for some it’s money. No matter the thing, if it’s not tied to the limitless resources of heaven, it is limited.
By telling the young man to sell his possessions, give to the poor and follow Him, Jesus was making Him aware of his limitations. This turned out to be hard for him but what the young man didn’t know is that He who is limitless was standing before Him. His heart was tied to his wealth but he wanted to be perfect, he wanted to be mature. I want you to know that becoming mature is not easy, but the level of difficulty is determined by the posture and position of our hearts. I believe that the key to our maturity as believers is becoming aware of our own limitations and the limitlessness of God. The sooner we understand this, the better off we will be, the further we can go, the freer we become.
Grace is the place where we learn that God is limitless and we are not. This is the starting place for flowing in the Rhythms of God’s grace.
Prayer Focus: That we would embrace our limitations and flow in the limitlessness of God.
I'm praying for you and with you,
Pastor Enrique Brooks
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