A Rich Inheritance
23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 19:23
Why is it hard for a wealthy man to follow the Lord? I have often thought about this passage. It is where the rich young man came and asked the Lord what it would take to follow Him.
One time when I was visiting with my wealthy uncle it reminded me of this scripture.I was walking through the beautiful home and had went and laid by the pool and ate my breakfast in the morning sunshine. It was sooooo nice. My uncle came and talked to me. He said, "Your father would have been a very wealthy man if he had of stayed here. Your old farm is worth millions now. I thought about that. I was later alone and was talking to the Lord about what my uncle had said to me. I told the Lord, "God my life would have been soooo different if my family would have stayed here!" He responded to me, "Yes, but what would have happened if you were to gain the whole world to lose your soul?" I thought about it some more...later that evening the whole family came home for coney islands. A family tradition for my Tulsa family. We sat around laughing and talking and catching up. It was fun but something was so missing. In the midst of a heavily drinking family it all made sense to me...if I would have stayed I would have gotten caught up in the lifestyle and very likely would have been just like them...without Jesus.
They didn't need God. Their money could provide for whatever they needed or wanted. My uncle was a self made man. He made who he was! He went from poor boy to rich man all on his own. He didn't have a need for God. How sad.
It made me so grateful that my family had listened to the Lord years ago and had sold the farm to a Christian Missionary who made a boys ranch. It made me so thankful that we didn't have "a lot" growing up so my mom would pray in God's provision. I did indeed have a rich inheritance. Just not the same as my other family. I have an inheritance that will last for eternity. One to pass down to my children! I am a wealthy woman! I am rich in the Lord!
Fast forward another six or seven years. I went "home" again. My uncle had horrible dementia, Alzheimer's. I had the privilege of praying for him and my aunt. No extended family around...a God appointment. I have no way of knowing for sure if they accepted Jesus but I sure hope so.You see, that day no amount of money could fix things...there was a need for God. That was the last time that I saw my family. Hopefully one day I will see them again in heaven because I took advantage of that one opportunity of need and shared and prayed. God is so good.
Why is it hard for a wealthy man to follow the Lord? I have often thought about this passage. It is where the rich young man came and asked the Lord what it would take to follow Him.
One time when I was visiting with my wealthy uncle it reminded me of this scripture.I was walking through the beautiful home and had went and laid by the pool and ate my breakfast in the morning sunshine. It was sooooo nice. My uncle came and talked to me. He said, "Your father would have been a very wealthy man if he had of stayed here. Your old farm is worth millions now. I thought about that. I was later alone and was talking to the Lord about what my uncle had said to me. I told the Lord, "God my life would have been soooo different if my family would have stayed here!" He responded to me, "Yes, but what would have happened if you were to gain the whole world to lose your soul?" I thought about it some more...later that evening the whole family came home for coney islands. A family tradition for my Tulsa family. We sat around laughing and talking and catching up. It was fun but something was so missing. In the midst of a heavily drinking family it all made sense to me...if I would have stayed I would have gotten caught up in the lifestyle and very likely would have been just like them...without Jesus.
They didn't need God. Their money could provide for whatever they needed or wanted. My uncle was a self made man. He made who he was! He went from poor boy to rich man all on his own. He didn't have a need for God. How sad.
It made me so grateful that my family had listened to the Lord years ago and had sold the farm to a Christian Missionary who made a boys ranch. It made me so thankful that we didn't have "a lot" growing up so my mom would pray in God's provision. I did indeed have a rich inheritance. Just not the same as my other family. I have an inheritance that will last for eternity. One to pass down to my children! I am a wealthy woman! I am rich in the Lord!
Fast forward another six or seven years. I went "home" again. My uncle had horrible dementia, Alzheimer's. I had the privilege of praying for him and my aunt. No extended family around...a God appointment. I have no way of knowing for sure if they accepted Jesus but I sure hope so.You see, that day no amount of money could fix things...there was a need for God. That was the last time that I saw my family. Hopefully one day I will see them again in heaven because I took advantage of that one opportunity of need and shared and prayed. God is so good.
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