Possible with God

Possible with God
Words of Faith 2-8-2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Mark 10
[23] Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!"
[24] The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is 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] The disciples were even more amazed and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?"
[27] Jesus looked at them and said, "With man, this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

We have all probably heard the teaching that in the time of Jesus there were little half-sized doors into many city walls that were called "needles." There is a famous one at the entry to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. A camel could get through this short entry only by getting on its knees, an exceedingly difficult, but not impossible, position.
The implication of this detail is that it is not actually impossible for the rich to enter the kingdom, just very difficult. The problem with this popular teaching is that it defies the text itself. Even the disciples understood the high standard as impossible. They asked: Who then can be saved?
Jesus replied that "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." In no way does Jesus seem to imply that it is very difficult, but not impossible, for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. It is impossible, spelled IMPOSSIBLE.
It is impossible for the rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Impossible. And this is stunning because we all must realize that we are quite wealthy. "Rich" was a relative term even in the time of Jesus. The disciples realized that they were wealthy by comparison to the destitute, widows, orphans and gleaners of the fields. They understood.
For us, we are exceedingly and abundantly more than wealthy in this world. The average income in developing nations is about $500 annually. If it is impossible for the rich to enter the kingdom of God, we haven't got a chance... but not because of riches.
Really, the problem is not riches, though they often get in the way. The problem for us is our own poverty of spirit. Riches serve simply to delude us into thinking we are not poor in spirit. The truth is that we are impoverished spiritually. We are lost eternally. We are depraved and dead without the grace of Jesus. We are incapable of saving ourselves and entering the kingdom of God.
The truth is that it is impossible for anyone to be saved, rich or poor, young or old, upright or immoral, law-breaking or law keeping. It is impossible. It is just harder for us rich folks to see that.

But here is the Good News: "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." We cannot save ourselves. We cannot even salvage ourselves. We are beyond rehabilitation. We need a Savior. Only by the saving grace of Jesus and the transforming power of His Holy Spirit can we come to life. What was dead is made alive. With God, all things are possible, not the least of which is the salvation of your soul.

Lord, thank You for making possible what was impossible for me. Thank You for the free offer of salvation. Help me to turn loose of my puny efforts at self-justification. Let me not be blinded by the comfort of my riches. I choose to receive your impossible work on my behalf. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2024 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.