A young rich man came to Jesus and asked him how he could inherit eternal life. Jesus knew that this young man had been following the moral laws—honors his parents, not committing adultery, murder, not testifying falsely, and not stealing. This young man was a good person and believed in God, but there was one thing that he was lacking. Jesus told him to sell all his possessions and gave them to the poor. Sadly, he could not do that because he did not want to lose his possessions, and he ended up walking away from Jesus. Jesus then said this to the disciples, "How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!" (Luke 18:24). The question then is why did the young man, who was good and believed in God, failed to give up his possessions? One of the reasons was that the young rich man was trusting on his possessions.
However, the young rich man may have forgotten that all the possessions he had were given to Him by God. In Proverbs 22:2, it says, "The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the maker of them all." The reason that the young man was wealthy was that God made him wealthy. It was sad that he was embracing and trusting the possessions that God had given him instead of embracing and trusting God. Jesus encouraged his disciples and said this to them, "no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life." (Luke 18:29-30).
One of the biggest reasons people are having difficulty trusting in God is that they trust their possessions and themselves. Their possessions can be their career, education, jobs, savings in the bank, retirement funds, or properties. God is saying to us that we should not trust in them, but we solely trust in Him because He is the ultimate provider of our lives. All of our possession, whether small or great, can be lost in an instant. Look at the fires in California that destroyed so many homes and properties. How about the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic? There were so many people who lost their jobs. But despite all these disasters, God remains the provider of our lives. So let us continue to trust God, and not in our possessions and ourselves.
Ask yourself these questions: Do I trust in God more than my possessions and myself? Why can I not trust my possessions and myself alone?
Write down all the worries that you are facing today and lift them up to God.
Prayer:
Father in Heaven, I acknowledge that you are my ultimate provider. Please help me not trust the possessions you have provided for me, but to trust in you alone. I know that I am always safe in your loving arms. Please help me now with (mention your prayer requests). In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.