Tuesday, June 25: “The Influential Rich”

Matthew 19: 23, 26: “Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.’ … And looking at them Jesus said to them, ‘With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’“

As with Joseph of Arimathea, the rich man who ensured the body of Christ had a secure place to stay until His resurrection, history is replete with rich men (and women) who had a great positive effect on the Kingdom of God. It is easy to rail against the rich for their excesses, but Jesus says here that the existence of a rich believer is not impossible, although it is hard to maintain such a pressure-filled witness. We must pray for the wealthy, for “one rich man” can wield influence like no other.