FBCD_FaithEssentials_June_FlipBook

Todd Gaddis

Finally, possession of worldly wealth increases a person’s chance of going to hell. The rich man in our story “habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day” (Luke 16:19). Obviously, his possessions did not automatically seal his dreadful fate. His prosperity, however, created a false sense of security. Why depend on God when he had everything a person could want at his disposal? Accumulation and the distractions that go along with it prohibited his necessary preparation for the future. As the Word says, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mark 10:25). Jesus made this comment at the end of an encounter with a rich young ruler when the man approached the Lord and asked Him the way to eternal life. After they discussed keeping the commandments, Jesus said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Luke 18:22). Certainly, the Lord wasn’t suggesting that entrance into heaven could be earned. He probed for a willing spirit and at the same time exposed the barrier that stood between the man and eternal life. Unfortunately, the young man rejected the Lord’s offer and headed down a path toward hell because of his love affair with worldly wealth. Another parable from Jesus illustrated this claim. The ground of a certain rich man produced such a bountiful harvest that he ran out of room to store his crops. Agonizing over his good fortune, he said, “This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry’” (Luke 12:18,19). Upon hearing the man’s plan, God responded, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you” “YOU STILL LACK ONE THING”

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