I have been struggling with the idea of wealth. It seems almost unhealthy to have too much. As pockets fill, hearts empty. The struggle with attachment is weighed down by abundance. The bible clarifies how the path for an affluent person will be harder. Harder than the daily struggles of someone with less?
Matthew 19:24 I’ll say it again-it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God. Feeling the need to repeat himself, Jesus explains, it is as likely that a person would humble themselves as a camel to crawl through the eye of a needle. That seems very implausible.
This entire concept brings a lot of questions to mind. How rich is rich? When am I at risk? Is there a way to be rich and avoid this entire complication?
If humility can get someone into this mess, humility can get that same person out. How do I become humble when excessive abundance threatens modesty at every turn? Even the disciples questioned Jesus after hearing this, they asked in verse 25, “Who then can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and answered the question. In verse 26, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Does our wealth and capacity pull us away from God with false safety in self-reliance? Can we have abundance and use it for the glory of God? Is the weight of a life of plenty, worth the struggle to remain in proximity to Him? Would it be easier to get rid of our abundance and see God more clearly?
Before you start excusing yourself from this conversation, look around. Your attachment is showing.
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