Scripture
15 One day some mothers brought their babies to him to touch and bless. But the disciples told them to go away.
16,17 Then Jesus called the children over to him and said to the disciples, "Let the little children come to me! Never send them away! For the Kingdom of God belongs to men who have hearts as trusting as these little children's. And anyone who doesn't have their kind of faith will never get within the Kingdom's gates."
18 Once a Jewish religious leader asked him this question: "Good sir, what shall I do to get to heaven?" 19 "Do you realize what you are saying when you call me 'good'?" Jesus asked him. "Only God is truly good, and no one else. 20 "But as to your question, you know what the Ten Commandments say--don't commit adultery, don't murder, don't steal, don't lie, honor your parents, and so on." 21 The man replied, "I've obeyed every one of these laws since I was a small child." 22 "There is still one thing you lack," Jesus said. "Sell all you have and give the money to the poor--it will become treasure for you in heaven--and come, follow me."
23 But when the man heard this he went sadly away, for he was very rich. 24 Jesus watched him go and then said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter 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 the Kingdom of God." 26 Those who heard him say this exclaimed, "If it is that hard, how can anyone be saved?" 27 He replied, "God can do what men can't!"
28 And Peter said, "We have left our homes and followed you." 29 "Yes," Jesus replied, "and everyone who has done as you have, leaving home, wife, brothers, parents, or children for the sake of the Kingdom of God, 30 will be repaid many times over now, as well as receiving eternal life in the world to come."
31 Gathering the Twelve around him he told them, "As you know, we are going to Jerusalem. And when we get there, all the predictions of the ancient prophets concerning me will come true. 32 I will be handed over to the Gentiles to be mocked and treated shamefully and spat upon, 33 and lashed and killed. And the third day I will rise again." 34 But they didn't understand a thing he said. He seemed to be talking in riddles. Luke 18:15-34 (Living)
Observation
Jesus teaches three times in this chapter about the requirements of the Kingdom of God:
· A trusting heart full of faith like a child has for his parents
· A heart with the correct attitude
· Jesus has to make the way available to us
It is amazing how much faith a child has for a parent, the child will do things and go places that they could never do alone. That’s how we should be about following God, wherever we are asked to go and whatever he ask us to do we should be able to do with Him by our side. Sometimes the parent doesn’t give the child any information about what or where but the child still believes.
It is time to go back to the lessons of Luke 12 again. A really good man comes to Jesus and wants a guarantee that he has been good enough to get into the Heaven. Well he had been pretty dog gone good but he had an attitude problem, just like almost every other good Pharisee. Jesus even gave the man a great deal “Sell all you have and give the money to the poor--it will become treasure for you in heaven” you still get to have treasure but first help these poor people and show me where your heart is. Remember what Jesus said “ Wherever your treasure is there your heart and thoughts will also be.”
None of this talk about getting into Heaven would be possible if it were not for Christ making it available to us through His suffering. No man was treated with so much contempt and scorn because the Prince of this world was making his final attack on our Messiah but it did him no good for in three days he rose from the grave, exactly like he said that he would do!
Application
I will follow with a blind faith and do as you ask me to do.
Prayer
I will do my best to trust you and follow wherever, even when you do not supply the answers about where we are going. Thank you for meeting my needs and allowing me to help meet other peoples needs from the riches you have given to me. Thank you for loving me and making the way for us to have a relationship.
