Mark 10:17-31 (NRSV)
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Verse 17As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Verse 18Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. Verse 19You know the commandments: 'You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.'" Verse 20He said to him, "Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth." Verse 21Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." Verse 22When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
Verse 23Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" Verse 24And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! Verse 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." Verse 26They were greatly astounded and said to one another, "Then who can be saved?" Verse 27Jesus looked at them and said, "For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible."
Verse 28Peter began to say to him, "Look, we have left everything and followed you." Verse 29Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, Verse 30who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age-houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions-and in the age to come eternal life. Verse 31But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first."
Devotion
In my younger days I was far from being faithful to living as the child whom God had claimed and sealed in baptism. Later, I felt I owed God so much. How could I ever repay? What must I do? But as I continue to live by faith in Christ I continue to grow into a new mindset. I am coming to realize that faith isn't so much about what I must do, but what I do to benefit others because of the influence of God's grace at work in me. Life flows not from doing, but from being a child of God.
I am human with normal human dreams and desires. Their power waxes and wanes in their influence in what I do in my life. But I give praise for the love and word of Christ that comes to me new each and every day. For it seems that every day I can see the Lord’s loving glance at me as he says, "Hurry up and be done with those things. Then come, and follow me."
Prayer
Lord Jesus, may I continually feel your loving gaze and hear your words of love. Amen.