ODJ: the best deal
June 5, 2014
READ: Luke 18:18-27
He replied, “What is impossible for people is possible with God” (v.27).
When I was a kid, my mum and I would often go to the supermarket together. As she taught me how to compare prices to find the best deal, she would stroll up each aisle with a list of items in one hand and a calculator in the other. She knew how to make each penny count and how to find the best deal. Now, as my husband and I step out into the unknown as church planters, I face a palpable fear of the uncertainties—some of which are financial. No matter how tightly I hold the calculator, however, I can’t control the future.
The wealthy religious leader mentioned in Luke 18 had been serious in his pursuit of God’s law from a young age (v.21). Unlike the pharisaical people who troubled Jesus with manipulative questions and derisive comments (Luke 11:53-54), this man came to Jesus for answers. He even asked, “What should I do to inherit eternal life?”—a question that indicates a belief in something beyond this world.
Loving Jesus is an appealing idea to embrace. We treasure the sense of belonging, understand the benefits of fidelity and find it exciting to be part of a kingdom that moves in strength. But there’s a difference between wanting to love Jesus and actually following Him.
In the end, the young man left unsatisfied with Jesus’ answer to trust Him above all else. He couldn’t embrace both intimacy with Jesus and his dependence on material things (Matthew 6:24).
More than a warning about the dangers of wealth, the young man’s story highlights this truth: as we journey with Jesus, the best deal is dependency on God more than what we can hold in our hands (Luke 18:22-23). —Regina Franklin
John 1:1-18 ‹365-day plan
Read Matthew 6:19-21 and consider what Jesus says about the nature of true treasure.
Identify any areas where you’re depending on yourself or others more than on God for your provision (financial or otherwise). What does it look like for you to trust in God alone for all you need?
