Matthew 19 Devotional

Possible Only with God

“Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.””Matthew 19:26 (BSB)

In Matthew 19, Pharisees test Jesus on divorce, and he takes them back to the beginning, when God made man and woman and joined the two into one (19:4-6). When the disciples turn children away, Jesus says the kingdom belongs to people like these little ones (19:13-14).

Then a young man asks what good thing he must do to gain eternal life (19:16). He says he has kept the commandments, and asks what he still lacks. Jesus tells him to sell his possessions, give the money away, and follow him, and the man leaves sad, for he owns a great deal (19:20-22). When Jesus says how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom, the disciples are astonished and ask who can be saved (19:25). For people, it cannot be done. For God, everything is possible (19:26). Salvation is God's work from beginning to end, which is why children, who bring nothing, are welcomed. You can stop counting what you still lack and receive what he gives.

To think about: What are you still trying to add to your record before God, and what would it mean to receive his salvation as a gift instead?