A Bible Passage

I know this is a little lengthy, but may it bless your outlook today. I have been getting Scriptures from friends lately regarding not worrying or fearing. Let's face it, I'm seriously struggling with those two things at this point in life b/c I'm watching every penny come and go with the paycheck and bills, and I know just exactly how much "cushion" we have in the savings. It's not a comfortable cushion for me.

So, I can choose to listen to Doomsday CNN every day, get caught up in the penny pinching, worry myself into an ulcer, feed into my husband's fears, grasp and claw at our bank account trying to hold on to every dollar possible. OR...I can do what was it humanly possible to be a good steward of the money we've been given, follow Him and trust Him to provide. I never, ever thought about being poor financially as a blessing and that certainly goes against everything the U.S. culture tells us day in and day out. But reading this story in the Bible today, even though I've read it before, has made me see our "cultural plight" in a new light. I'm also reminded of Scott's grandpa who wore an old worn out belt even though the leather was split and peeling back, and despite the fact that he had a perfectly new one that was given to him as a present, because it was still good and did it's job.

May I be more like that from this day on...thankful for what I have, able to see the good use in things despite their appearance and also wise. I will choose to not fret and worry over things I have no control, but trust Him to purify me, to strip away all that is undesirable and carry my family and I through this storm.

Passage Mark 10:17-31: (emphasis mine)

The Rich Man

¹⁷ As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

¹⁸ “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. ¹⁹ But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.'”

²⁰ “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”

²¹ Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

²² At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

²³ Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” ²⁴ This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard^[b] to enter the Kingdom of God. 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!”

²⁶ The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.

²⁷ Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”

²⁸ Then Peter began to speak up. “We’ve given up everything to follow you,” he said.

²⁹ “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, ³⁰ will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life. ³¹ But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.”