Self Control
“‘Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, ‘Who then can be saved?’
Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’”
Today’s Text: Matthew 19:23-30 (Living Life Daily Devotional)
Not only was the rich, young man determined to “have it all,” the disciples had that same attitude, as well. So the disciples asked exactly the right question. Because pretty much every normal person on this planet—including them—wants to be well-off financially. Who doesn’t want better homes, better food, better toys, etc., and more respect from others?
But the problem is not necessarily greed, although greed is certainly a symptom of the idolatry in our hearts. And it would be true to say that the problem is idolatry, in general. But what is really the nature of idolatry?
The nature of idolatry is fundamentally self-reliance, or maybe a better word might be self-actualization. It’s not that self-reliance and self-actualization are bad things, in and of themselves. We could all use a healthy dose of self-reliance and self-actualization.
The problem is that because self-reliance and self-actualization help us to function well in the material realm, we place our trust in the self in the spiritual realm, as well. But we can’t. They don’t work. And in fact, self-reliance and self-actualization works against our well-functioning in the spiritual realm. Sometimes, self-reliance and self-actualization work against our well-being in the material realm, too, especially when it comes to our relationships.
And so Jesus lays down the law. “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Without God’s intervention, it would be impossible for any person to be saved. Absolutely impossible.
But we live in a world where nothing is deemed “absolutely impossible,” as long as we have enough skills and energy and resources. That idea is the ultimate distortion of self-reliance and self-actualization. It is the great lie of modernism. It is that lie that makes some people believe that they can cure or defeat death—especially those who are extremely wealthy.
For those who are extremely wealthy, the greatest violation of everything they hold to be good and right must be that death, ultimately speaking, makes their lives no different from that of a homeless person.
The truth of such an “atrocity” should drive them to Christ, except that doing so should also make them understand that their lives are truly not that different from that of a homeless person, except by the grace of God.
And so, on the one hand, a healthy dose of self-reliance and self-actualization are helpful for navigating in this world. On the other hand, we should always surrender our self-reliance and self-actualization to the sovereign hand of God and for the service of Christ.
God will never do for us those things we can do. He will only do for us those things that we cannot. And so, it would be good for us to recognize how much we cannot.
Father, You are sovereign over all things. And You even know the end from the beginning. We live day to day navigating in a world of cause-and-effect. But we try to control every effect by trying to control every cause. It is by Your grace alone that we can even breathe. Give us wisdom in these matters, so that our every breath will glorify Your name. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
