devotional post # 2027

Luke 18:24-27

Luk 18:24 After Jesus noticed this, he said, “It is so hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!
Luk 18:25 In fact, 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.”
Luk 18:26 Those who heard this said, “Then who can be saved?”
Luk 18:27 He responded, “What is impossible for mere humans is possible for God.”

surrendering self-dependence

Wealth has a way of shaping the inner life. It solves problems, removes obstacles, opens doors, and cushions us from many of the pressures that others feel daily. Because of that, it quietly trains the heart toward self‑dependence. We begin to trust our resources, our planning, our safety nets. We start to believe that if something goes wrong, we can fix it. And in ordinary life, that often works.

But in the kingdom of God, self‑dependence becomes a liability. Kingdom living is built on God‑dependence—on the deep awareness that everything we truly need comes from him, not from our own strength or supply. Jesus’ words about the rich entering the kingdom are not a condemnation of wealth itself but a diagnosis of the spiritual posture wealth tends to create. Riches whisper, “You’re fine. You’re capable. You’re secure.” The gospel whispers something very different: “You are needy. You are dependent. You are upheld by grace.”

If God has blessed someone with wealth, the invitation is not to feel guilty about it but to recognize its limits. Money can buy comfort, but not peace. It can purchase influence, but not righteousness. It can secure a future on paper, but not eternal life. Wealth can do many things, but it cannot do the one thing that matters most: reconcile a person to God and reshape the heart into Christlikeness.

That is why Jesus says it will take a miracle for the wealthy to enter the kingdom. Not because God is unwilling, but because the human heart must be retrained to trust in something beyond itself. And miracles are exactly what God does. He knows how to loosen the grip of self‑reliance. He knows how to awaken dependence. He knows how to bring a person—rich or poor—to the place where they say, “Lord, I need you more than I need anything else.”

It is possible for God to save the wealthy. It is possible for him to reign in a life surrounded by abundance. It is possible for him to create humility where pride once lived. It is possible for him to teach dependence where self‑confidence once ruled. It is possible because he is the God who does the impossible.

LORD, we surrender our self‑dependence to your sovereignty.