Trusting in Riches

This is Day 16 of my 40 day Lenten Blog.

"How hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!" Mark 10:24.

Like the rich man who built new barns to hold all of his grain so that he could relax knowing that he was well provided for only to die the next day, we often put our trust in our own riches to protect us.

But riches aren't just money. It could be our intelligence or our physical strength. When we trust in anything other than God we risk failing. Only God is unfailing. Only God will keep us on the right path, the path to heaven.

When we trust in our riches what we are really saying is that we trust in ourselves and thus do not need God. That is why it is so difficult for those who trust in their riches to enter the kingdom of God. To enter heaven we have to have faith in God.

When we choose to have greater faith in ourselves, our own abilities, our own decision making, our own wealth, our own strength, etc, instead of God, we jeopardize our salvation. Christ died because we needed Him to. We can't save ourselves. But if we don't think we need Him, then we won't have Him.

R.C. VanLandingham is the author of the Peter Puckett series, a Christian children's fantasy that explores what it means to know and love Christ through exciting adventures. His books and blog can be found at rcvanlandingham.com.