EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!
SATURDAY AUGUST 08, 2026.
SUBJECT : THE RICH ARE RARELY HUMBLE!
Memory verse: "Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack; Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take the cross and follow Me." (Mark 10 vs 21.)
READ: Mark 10 vs 22 - 25:
10:22: But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
10:23: Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!"
10:24: And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!
10:25: It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
INTIMATION:
To be rich is to be affluent, wealthy, having a large fortune. The rich are people with great financial resources, having an abundant supply of desirable qualities or substances. Such people often anchor their trust in their riches because they believe with their riches they can get all they want. They usually believe that the financial security they have is all they need to be secured in life. Consequently, It is usually hard to find humble people among the rich because they believe they have all it takes to have all their needs met.
Obviously, money represents power, authority, and success, hence it is often difficult for rich people to realize their ultimate need in life, and the powerlessness of their riches to save them. The rich in talent or intelligence suffer the same difficulty; they often put their trust in their intellect and abilities.
A person's wealth usually makes life comfortable, and gives him or her power and prestige, hence they trust in their wealth as the very basis of their security and identity. They have what they want or can easily buy what the want. They are influential, praised, honored, and popular. Therefore, it is rather difficult for them to humble themselves to serve. It is difficult for self-sufficient persons to realize the need of Jesus in their lives.
In most cases, unless God reaches down into the life of the rich, they will not come back to Him. They fail to realize that is God who owns all things—the world and its fullness (Psalm 24 vs 1; 89 vs 11), and "no man receives anything unless is given to him from heaven" (John 3 vs 27). Therefore, it is more secured to put your trust in the Giver and the gift.
Humility signifies lowliness of mind; modest, not prideful, submissive, deferential, and meek. These character traits are often lacking in the rich, because riches are mostly the worldly standard of evaluating success and achievement, and eventually cause the rich to think highly of, and too much about themselves. Evaluating yourself by the worldly standards of success and achievement can cause you to think too much about your worth in the eyes of others and thus miss your true value in God's eyes.
The Scriptures, in Deuteronomy 8 ve 17 -18, say, "then you say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.' And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day." In times of plenty, we often take credit for our prosperity and become proud that our own hard work and cleverness have made us rich.
It's noteworthy that it is God who gives us everything we have, and it is God who asks us to manage it for Him. The remedy for materialism is to remember Him from whom all blessings flow. It is easy to get so busy collecting and managing wealth that we push God right out of our lives. The key to an honest and accurate evaluation is knowing the basis of our self-worth, that is, your relationship with Christ who controls all things, and without Him you can do nothing.
Consider the incident in our memory verse and the passage in Mark we read today. Jesus is not asking believers to sell all their possessions. Most of His followers did not sell everything they have to follow Him, although they used their possessions to serve others. Instead, this incident shows us that we must not let our possessions keep us from following Jesus. We must remove all barriers to serving Him fully, and humbling ourselves before the Lord.
Prayer: Abba Father, the earth and its fullness are Yours, and all good and perfect gifts come from You. Endue me with the spirit of humility, knowing that all I am, and all I have comes from You, and by You all things consist. I will humble myself before You, and at all times You will take the first place in my life, in Jesus' Name I prayed, Amen.
PRAISE THE LORD!
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