In Luke 18 Jesus spoke after He was approached by the rich young ruler who would not give up his wealth:
24 And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!
25 For 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.”
26 And those who heard it said, “Who then can be saved?”
27 But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”
28 Then Peter said, “See, we have left all and followed You.”
29 So He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God,
30 who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.”
Jesus declared that their were notable benefits to following Him for the sake of the Kingdom of Our Heavenly Father. The temporary is no comparison to the eternal and so we must not let the current state dictate our future. Those of us who have the benefit of seeing assets wither away over time can appreciate how temporary “things” really are. The world’s output is in constant deterioration which is no place to put our trust in. The Spiritual Life will endure beyond this world so we should be investing in the eternal, not the external.
Where we place our trust is critical to our future. Men will fail us, systems will fail us, and even family will fail us at some point. We must not be moved when failure of this nature arrives but instead rely on FATHER to minister to us through the Holy Spirit in our time of need. After all, FATHER knew us first when HE formed us in the womb and established our gifts and callings. HIS Divine Intent of Love will sustain us in all situations no matter how painful they may be.
31 Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.
32 For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon.
33 They will scourge Him and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.”
34 But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken.
Immediately after assuring the disciples of the Heavenly benefits, Jesus discloses that His time is short in the physical realm. He first proclaimed the benefits of eternity before this disclosure. He needed to assure the disciples that this was not a temporary Way but it was the opening to The Door for them to follow The Way, The Truth, and The Life. They needed to be assured and keep their focus on the Eternal. They would soon be challenged in the area of their trust. At some point we all will be challenged in like manner. Let us be prepared.