With God All Things are Possible

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

Have you ever felt like a weakness you have is too difficult to overcome for your faith? Today’s devotional encourages us to turn to God. His power makes it possible.

One day, a young man came to Jesus with a question: “What good thing shall I do to have eternal life?”

Jesus told him, “Sell what you have, give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But the man was wealthy and found it difficult to do this. He walked away feeling very sad.

Jesus then taught His disciples, “It’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God.”

“The eye of a needle” that Jesus talked about is a type of narrow gate in Jerusalem. Camels carrying heavy loads had to unload their baggage and bend down to squeeze through.

Jesus knew the young man’s wealth was a heavy load that prevented him from entering the Kingdom of Heaven. That’s why Jesus intentionally told him to go and sell all his things and give to the poor. Jesus wanted the young man to be freed of what weighed him down so much that he couldn’t follow Jesus.

His disciples were confused. If it was so hard to go to Heaven, who then could be saved?

This was when Jesus replied, “With men it is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Take a moment to think about your own life. What weighs you down and could prevent you from entering God’s Kingdom?

Maybe it’s hoping for the newest gadgets, wanting to be the best at something, or simply caring too much about what other people think. But no learning, reputation, or material enjoyment can truly satisfy our soul.

Though these things may let us feel “rich” or happy, do we have true wealth if we can’t enter the Kingdom of God?

Yet sometimes, we feel torn—part of us wants to follow Jesus, while part of us wants to hold on to the very burdens that make it difficult to do so. It’s not easy to let go of the world. Our strength is small and our faith is weak.

With ourselves, it’s impossible indeed. But all things are possible with God.

When the Lord opens the eyes of our hearts, we will see the glory of God’s Kingdom. And how could we not give up the sparkle of this world so we can shine gloriously in heaven?

Family Altar

Use these discussion questions and our prayer as a guide for your family altar.

Parents can lead the prayer and invite their children to repeat after them or encourage them to take the lead, making family altar time a shared journey of faith.

Discussion:

• What does it mean to rely on God to overcome sin?

• Why do some Christians not rely on God to overcome their weaknesses?

• What is 1 good trait or action that you want God to help you be better in?

Prayer in words:

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Lord, You are our Almighty God. You made everything on heaven and earth, including us. Though we are made in Your image, sometimes we still sin against You. But we know that You understand us and love us. Forgive us for our sins, even the times when we forget to rely on You to do the correct thing. We ask you for mercy and grace to help us not to sin. Amen.

_{Adapted from Hsieh, Ezra. “Commit Your Way to Jesus.” Living Bread, Word of Life Publishing House, pp. 57-58.}