General News
6 July, 2025
In Good Faith
Someone once worked out that if all the money held by Australians was divided equally among every Australian, then we would have about $240,000 each!
What would you do if you had such a sum floating about? In fact, simply because we’re Australians, means we’re among the top 20% of the world’s richest people.
But consider Jesus’ words: ‘It 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’ (Mk 10:25).
Does this mean we’re all barred from the kingdom of heaven, simply for being richer than most?
Not necessarily. On one occasion, a rich man came to Jesus asking what he had to do to inherit eternal life.
Jesus said to him ‘Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me’ (Mk. 10:21).
However, the man went away ‘sad, because he had great wealth’ (Mk. 10:22). But the problem was not his wealth.
The problem was he was more attached to his wealth than he was to Christ.
Luther’s explanation of the First Commandment is ‘I am the Lord your God.
You shall have no other gods but me. What does this mean? We are to fear, love and trust God above everything else’ – even above our own hard-earned wealth.
Does this mean we can’t or shouldn’t love or trust other things? Not at all.
Jesus simply wants us to love and trust Him, first. For the rich man in Mark 10, his wealth was a barrier to following Christ.
For us, it could wealth or security, reputation, family, friends, popularity, power or pride.
At one time or another, we all suffer from the rule of these false gods in our hearts. We - like the rich man - do not always fear, love, and trust in God above all things.
But why should we put God first? Because God the Father wants to dethrone everything in our lives that isn’t of Christ, to make room for Christ and all the heavenly treasures He has to give us!
The blessings of Christ - forgiveness of sins, peace, hope, grace, comfort - far outweigh any sacrifices we might make for Him.
Jesus set aside the power and glory of heaven, to bring us to His side. How can our own possessions, or money, or business, or land, or anything else, compare to that?
Our own riches – great though they may be – are of no account before Him.
Let’s always see our highest, greatest, most precious possession, in Jesus Christ!
Contributed by Lucas Matuschka