What’s Stopping 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.”
Mark 10:25
A man falls to his knees before Jesus, asking, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus points him to some of the key commandments in the law, which he said he abides by. Jesus then addresses the issue of his heart — something that I’m sure we all fear.
Jesus knew that he wasn’t able to fully obey, fully love, or fully accept the kingdom of God while he was clinging to his riches and possessions. It’s impossible to love both God and money, just as it’s impossible to get a camel through the eye of a needle.
Many things can be a barrier to living an obedient life. For this man, it was his wealth.
Jesus knew this, and he addressed it. He called for obedience. It wasn’t going to be easy for this man. It would have required some gritty optimism — to fight through the struggle — in order to inherit the kingdom of God.
Nothing worth having comes easily. Jesus wanted you in his kingdom so badly that he endured the cross and death to save you from your sins. Jesus came to flip the world right-side up, calling his followers to be last here on earth — to live lives of humility and obedience, in step with His Spirit.
What is stopping you from inheriting the kingdom of God? What is God convicting you of today? What is God calling you to sacrifice so that you can be obedient to Him and His calling on your life?