When it comes to the goals people want to set and the habits they would like to make, many people give up on themselves before they even start. They say things like, "I am just like this," or "There is no hope for me." This line of thinking completely overlooks God's power. You see, He can do far more through us than we could imagine. The question we must ask ourselves is, do we believe in His power to do more through us than we ever thought possible and help us break bad habits and form new good, Christ-honoring habits?
Jesus revealed that nothing is impossible for Him in Matthew 19. As Jesus was with His disciples in this passage of Scripture, a man came to Jesus and asked, "What good deed must I do to have eternal life" (verse 16). In response to this question, Jesus said, "If you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments" (verse 17). The man responded, "I have obeyed all these commandments…. What else must I do?" (verse 20). Jesus responded, "If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me" (verse 21). With this, Scripture teaches that the young man "went away sad, for he had many possessions" (verse 22). Ruled by his possessions, this man was unwilling to follow Jesus. Next, Jesus looked at His disciples and said, "It is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven… 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!" (verses 23-24). It is impossible for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, so this statement astonished the disciples. They asked Jesus, "Then who in the world can be saved" (verse 25). Where disciples saw impossibility, Jesus saw hope because of His power. He responded, "Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible" (verse 26). It is true; it is impossible, humanly speaking, for anyone to be saved. Praise be to God that He does not leave us on our own. What is impossible for us is more than possible for Him. With God, anything is possible. After all, if our salvation is possible through Jesus, nothing is impossible for our God.
Have you counted yourself out, believing that you cannot change? Have you believed that there is no way you could grow and become more like Christ? Let me remind you, my friend, of the very words of Jesus, who said, "With God, anything is possible. "
What goals or ways you would like to grow in order to become more like Christ have you counted yourself out of achieving? I encourage you, my friend, that nothing with God is impossible. Ask God to help you grow in that area and take confident steps to grow in that area beginning today.
16 Someone came to Jesus with this question: “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”
17 “Why ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. But to answer your question—if you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments.”
18 “Which ones?” the man asked.
And Jesus replied: “‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. 19 Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
20 “I’ve obeyed all these commandments,” the young man replied. “What else must I do?”
21 Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, 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 But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. 24 I’ll say it again—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!”
25 The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.
26 Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”
27 Then Peter said to him, “We’ve given up everything to follow you. What will we get?”
28 Jesus replied, “I assure you that when the world is made new and the Son of Man sits upon his glorious throne, you who have been my followers will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.
