Day 163 "Even the breath I take is not possible without the will of God."

Day 163 Matthew 19:23-26 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. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Wow, did I have a cool awakening by the Lord! Well over 20 years ago, I heard our former senior pastor share on this passage, and he referred to the eye of the needle as either a spiraled, very tight or a very small gate within the wall of a city. In either case, the intent of the gate is to prevent the enemies of the city from entering in with great force or armament. These gates were often so small that one would literally need to crawl on their knees and either drag or push their possessions along with them for lack of room. Just the night before, we had a special guest who shared on this very passage and used a very similar description of what Jesus was referring to as the eye of the needle. He very creatively described how a camel would need to be removed of all burdens, and even then, it would need to crawl and crouch lowly in order to enter the city. I consider this analogy to be a very effective mind picture of how each of us should enter the kingdom of heaven; however, both may very well be inaccurate. Now, for the reason for my awakening. You see, I was very confident this morning that I could hear from the Lord and share with ease this very familiar passage; however, I am so grateful for God's faithfulness, for on my own I would have gone a direction He did not want this morning. That, alone, should for all of us be a reminder not to do what is familiar but to remember to wait on Him, to hear His voice, and then do His will, as I have done this morning. The word used to describe the eye of the needle in this particular passage in all of the gospels is rhaphidos, which, yes, you guessed it, is literally the eye of a sewing needle. Now, here is the amazing dynamic to this for me–suddenly it is not me that has any control on how or whether I enter the kingdom of heaven; suddenly our entire passage for the day takes on its very appropriate and, I believe, in-context meaning. You see, Jesus goes on in this passage to say, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Hence, the only way a camel will be fitting through the eye of a sewing needle is by a miraculous move of God, and the same can be said for a rich man. No rich man will enter heaven unless God, by His will, has given this person power over the influence of the pursuit of riches. I believe that Jesus is telling us that a rich man can enter heaven, and some will, but only because God has protected his heart and made him not love money for himself but rather what it can do and how it can be used for the kingdom. Additionally, I believe that this person must be submitted to that will and move of God. This should also serve as a stark reminder for each of us that it is not just the rich who will not enter without God making it possible, it is all of mankind as well. Daily Prayer: Father, thank you for allowing us to move beyond the knowledge of man and into the revelation of You. Protect us, Lord, from accepting this as we see or hear them, and teach us to seek Your will in all things. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. "Even the breath I take is not possible without the will of God." Pastor Gene Burroughs