ICS Daily Devotions
It Is Possible to Be Rich and Godly
Mark 10:27-30 (NJKV) But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.” Then Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You.” So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.
Money is neutral because we all need it to survive, but it is a problem when money becomes an idol in our lives—when we trust in money more than we trust in God and worship Him.
When Jesus said, “With God all things are possible”, it means it is possible to be rich and godly. However, that only happens when we are very clear that we are stewards of God’s money and He is the source of our provision. If that’s the case, it shouldn’t be hard for us to part with our money, because it has no hold over us. We need to have a paradigm shift from having money as our security or our god to having God as the source of our provision, so we can be a blessing to the ministry and those in need.
The disciples were greatly astonished when Jesus said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” (v24). Because they were not poor people, they could identify with the rich young ruler in some ways. Peter was a fisherman who had workers working for him, while John ran his father’s fishing business and had important friends and relatives in the Jewish council.
When we are working with God, being yoked with Him and having His Kingdom in mind, money will not be an idol in our lives. Jesus is the Lord of our lives when we have consecrated our lives to God. When Jesus told His disciples, “With God all things are possible”, He wanted to assure them because they had left everything including families and properties to follow Him. Jesus told them that they would receive a hundredfold now in the areas of houses, lands, brothers and sisters, along with persecutions during their lifetime and inherit eternal life. The purpose for the hundredfold on earth is for the work of the ministry.
Sermon Series: Are You Young and Rich?
