Matthew 19:16-30 Comment: We are all familiar with this story! So how would the rich young ruler be treated today in the 21st Century church? He would be worshiped like an idol! He would be heralded for his success and highly lifted up in the congregation! Brother rich man if you would give 20 percent of your income to our ministry you will even become richer! What did Jesus tell the rich man to do? Sell all he had and give to the poor then follow me! This is a hard saying! The rich man could not do it and walked away sad! His wealth had him! A slave to wealth! What question did the rich man have that brought up all of this? The rich man wanted to know how to inherit eternal life? He thought he had this life all figured out so he was concerned about the next life! However he did not understand what he was doing in this life was holding him up in the next life! If I gain the whole world what profits me if I lose my soul! The love of money is the root of all evil! Easier for an elephant to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter Heaven! Why did not Jesus tell the rich young ruler to sell all he had and give to a ministry? Give it into the Temple at Jerusalem? The religious leaders had the same problem! Love of money! I thank God I am not rich! He gives us our daily bread and the cares of today are sufficient! You may think you can have money and not love it but that is rare as hens teeth! Think about God! Spend time in His Word! Be thankful for what you have! Remember the woman who anointed Jesus feet with the expensive perfume for his burial! Judas got upset! We could have sold this and given to the poor! Jesus said the poor you will always have with you! Judas wanted the money! The poor are always with us because the rich love their money more than God and doing what we should to help the poor! What am I doing to help the poor? Perhaps a mission trip through your local church would help you to have the opportunity to help the poor! Jesus paid the price on the Cross to prepare eternal life for you! Take up your cross and follow him giving life to those who have never heard about Christ and his love for them! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com