The devil tries to make us feel like we are losing out if we give a significant part of our time, money, attention or energy to God’s work, at our church, or to other Christian activities. He does a very good job convincing us of this.

In Mark 10, Jesus speaks with the virtuous rich man, who sounds like a very caring, and giving person who was trying to do the right thing, but when he asks Jesus what he must do to go to heaven, Jesus tells him, “sell all you have, give it to the poor, and follow me,” he went away disappointed because he could not bring himself to do this. Then Jesus told the disciples how difficult it is for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.

After this story, the disciples were concerned, saying, “if this good rich man cannot go to heaven, how can anyone? We have given up everything to follow you.”

Jesus then told them, and tells us, in Mark 10:29-30, “Let me assure you that no one has ever given up anything—home, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or property—for love of me and to tell others the Good News, who won’t be given back, a hundred times over, homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land—with persecutions! “All these will be his here on earth, and in the world to come he shall have eternal life.”

It may not be easy, but God will take care of us if we put him first with what we have.

Dear Lord, thank you for the promises you make to us in this story. Give us confidence to overcome the lies planted in our minds that make us concerned about doing too much for you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.