30th Mar 26 | 13:54
Studies by Book
Luke 11 37-54 Repenting from hypocrisy Woe 7
📖 Luke 11:37-54
*Let us be subject to God* _Luke 11:37-54_
Our Lord is confronting us on the attitude of our heart towards money, the material things of life, towards bread and towards mammon.
Yesterday we said, true repentance is to repent from trusting the world/mammon/money/bread and turn and place our trust in God. If we were to repent at this place it will cost us heavily, for we will have to dismantle many of our choices and decisions that we have made, which were bread based.
We may repent but being ready to undo the things that we have done, which was bread based, is the proof of repentance. Zacchaeus, did just that. When Zacchaeus started to dismantle his life choices that were bread based, our Lord pronounced upon him, salivation and that he was now reconciled with God, which is eternal life _John 17:3/I John 1:1-3._
The rich young ruler came to Jesus, asking for eternal life. He came looking for a deep, intimate relationship with God. He was sincere, he was wealthy, he was a ruler and he was still young. Yet there was emptiness, within, which he was not able to fill. He came to Jesus, for somehow he knew that Jesus would give him the answer, to his life question _Mark 10:17-20._
Our Lord longed that this young man would accept the solution that He was about to make known to him. The solution for the rich young ruler was to let go of his possessions, which was the basis of his life. He had to let go of his possessions, completely, by taking certain specific steps and he would have to turn and depend on God. The young man made a trade off and decided that his material possessions, would be what he would hold on to and not God. In making that exchange, he lost eternal life or a relationship with God and what he gained for himself was sadness and sorrow _Mark 10:21-22._
Our Lord is making it clear to us that those, who trust in riches, do not have eternal life _Mar 10:23-27. It is not money or the material things that prevents us from entering eternal life but it is our TRUST in money that stops us.
Giving, generosity, concern for the needs of others, rich in good works and willingness to share, is the antidote, which will ensure that in our heart, we do not trust the material things of life _I Timothy 6:17-19._ This was the correction that our Lord was bringing to the Pharisees.
Will we not be subject to our Father and live _Hebrews 12:9?_
*Thought to ponder*
```Without faith in Jesus, we cannot please God.```