Limitless

"The more you believe and trust God, the more limitless your possibilities become for your family, your career for your life." (Rick Warren)

¹⁷ Jesus started to leave, but a man ran to him and bowed down on his knees before him. The man asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to get the life that never ends?”

¹⁸ Jesus answered, “Why do you call me good? Only God is good. ¹⁹ And you know his commands: ‘You must not murder anyone, you must not commit adultery, you must not steal, you must not lie, you must not cheat, you must respect your father and mother ….’

²⁰ The man said, “Teacher, I have obeyed all these commands since I was a boy.”

²¹ Jesus looked at the man in a way that showed how much he cared for him. He said, “There is still one thing you need to do. Go and sell everything you have. Give the money to those who are poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come and follow me.”

²² The man was upset when Jesus told him to give away his money. He didn’t want to do this, because he was very rich. So he went away sad.

²³ Then Jesus looked at his followers and said to them, “It will be very hard for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom!”

²⁴ The followers were amazed at what Jesus said. But he said again, “My children, it is very hard to enter God’s kingdom! ²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through the [low, narrow Needle Gate in Jerusalem] than for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom!”

²⁶ The followers were even more amazed and said to each other, “Then who can be saved?”

²⁷ Jesus looked at them and said, “That is something people cannot do, but God can. He can do anything.”

²⁸ Peter said to Jesus, “We left everything to follow you.”

²⁹ Jesus said, “I can promise that everyone who has left their home, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or farm for me and for the Good News about me ³⁰ will get a hundred times more than they left. Here in this world they will get more homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and farms. And with these things they will have persecutions. But in the world that is coming they will also get the reward of eternal life. ³¹ Many people who have the highest place now will have the lowest place in the future. And the people who have the lowest place now will have the highest place then.” (Mark 10:17-31, Easy-to-Read Version, ERV)

The Bible instructs us a total 365 times to not be afraid.

Are you afraid that without your money, titles, or earthly possessions that you will have no identity. Your uniqueness rests in you being a valuable child of God.

Work should not be about money, but about building relationships.

Can you answer these questions:

·        What does your money mean to you?

·        If Jesus were to ask you to do the same thing as the Rich Young Man in the passage above, could you (or would you be willing to)?

·        Is your money your servant or your master?

·        Are you too attached to your possessions, or are you doing the right things with the blessings God’s given you?

·        What barriers are keeping you from turning your life over completely to Jesus?

·        Does God always provide our needs (and our wants)?

Face financial fears by…

1.       Reducing worldly treasures-“My dear brothers and sisters, listen: God has picked the poor of this world to become unfathomably rich in faith and ultimately to inherit the Kingdom, which He has pledged to those who love Him.” (James 2:5, The Voice, VOICE)

 

2.      Producing Heavenly treasures- “Some people store up treasures in their homes here on earth. This is a shortsighted practice—don’t undertake it. Moths and rust will eat up any treasure you may store here. Thieves may break into your homes and steal your precious trinkets. Instead, put up your treasures in heaven where moths do not attack, where rust does not corrode, and where thieves are barred at the door.” (Matthew 6:19-20, The Voice, VOICE)

 “At some point in every person's life, we will need a miracle from God. It may be for us, a family member, or a troubled child. It might be a mountain of family or financial trouble, or some unseen force that fills us with fear.” (John H. Osteen)[i]

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[i] Inspired by the sermon “Facing Your Financial Fears: Facing Your Fears” (installment three) Sunday April 26, 2020, Pastor Jon Fulton, CenterPoint Church Westerville (All CenterPoint churches are closed due to the Coronavirus, and are meeting online.) Join us every Sunday morning at 10am at the CenterPoint Church Main Page on Facebook.

Additional sources used:

·        “What did Jesus mean when He said it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven?” by Got Questions

·        Various study notes from the New International Version Life Application Study Bible