The narrative that describes the rich, young ruler (Luke 18:18-23) teaches our generation some very important truths. The man who came to Jesus asking Him what he needed to do to obtain eternal life appears to be a prime example of success. Money and position are two achievements that garner attention from others.

The man in Luke 18 is referred to as a ruler (v. 18). This indicates that he has power and
control over others. Many people crave authority. Men and women will often make great
sacrifices to obtain a position where they are able to dictate what others do. But a position cannot bring eternal life.

The ruler is called very rich (v. 23). This man had great possessions (Mt. 19:22). When
Jesus tells him to distribute his wealth to the poor (Lk. 18:22), he refused. It is true that everyone enjoys owning nice things. The flesh of man is never satisfied no matter how much he possesses, but possessions cannot bring eternal life.

Matthew 19:22 describes the rich ruler as a young man. Present day culture is obsessed
with youthfulness. For a young man to have obtained a position of authority and accumulated great riches is remarkable. It demonstrates that he had a high level of potential, but having potential cannot bring eternal life.

It was not the ruler’s position that prevented him from obtaining eternal life. Many kings
and noblemen have worshipped Christ. It was not his possessions that hindered him from
following Jesus. Many rich people in Bible times as well as today, are Christians. It was not his youth that stopped him from becoming a believer. Many young people who possess great
potential have given their all to the Savior. The rich young ruler did not have just position,
possessions and potential, he also had pride. It was his pride that kept him from humbling
himself, giving to the poor and following Jesus Christ.

Pride is connected with destruction, contention and shame (Prov. 16:18; 13:10; 11:2).
Pride will bring a person down, but humility brings honor (Prov. 29:23). Beloved, if the Lord
blesses us with a position of authority, numerous possessions or even the potential to do great things in life, may we never have a spirit of pride. May we use all what the Lord has given us to praise Him!

Philippians is one of Paul’s “captivity epistles” (Eph., Phil., Col. and Philem.) according to 1:7, 13 and 17. It was probably the last of these four epistles since Paul was anticipating his release (Phil. 1:25). One can only imagine the personal difficulties that he was facing. He had done nothing worthy of the accusations that were being brought against him, and the temptation to be discouraged must have been great. Even in such a predicament, Paul was thinking of the needs of others.

Some opponents of Paul were troubling the church at Philippi. There was a group of church members who were being contentious and disrupting the unity of the believers (1:15-18, 28-29). Paul rebuked them and admonished them to exhibit Christ-like humility (2:1-11). Judaizers were attempting to bring the church family under the Old Testament Law (3:1-6). Paul countered their heresy with the teaching of the “excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus” (3:8). Some were advocating their own perfection; they believed that they had “already attained”! Paul rebuked them and upheld Christ as our goal (3:12-16). Libertines and materialists were attempting to influence the brethren at Philippi (3:18-19). Paul warned them of the return of the Savior and His desire to conform believers to be like Him (3:20-21).

Even though the church at Philippi was going through such attacks from within and without, Paul’s letter was one of encouragement. When he thought of the church, Paul had joyous remembrance (1:3-4). Paul was confident of God’s working in their midst (1:5-6). Paul cared for these Christians (1:7) and prayed for their love to abound (1:8-9).

It is important to note that the epistle concludes on a positive note. Apparently the adversaries had not been very successful in their attempts to hurt the Lord’s work. Accordingly, Paul directed the Christians to stand firm and rejoice (4:1-4)! The apostle reminded them of the Lord’s return (4:5). He advocated prayer and the appropriation of the peace of God in their lives (4:6-9). He reminded the Philippian church family of God’s provision in his own life (with their support) and encouraged them to expect God to provide for them as well (4:10-19).

The Bible declares that all who attempt to live for the Lord will face adversity (2 Tim 3:12). The epistle to the church at Philippi teaches us that Christians can experience the joy of the Lord even when we are faced with persecutions, problems and attacks. May we all “rejoice in the Lord alway” (4:4)!

Biographical information comprises a great amount of the writings in the Scriptures. God desires for us to learn from the lives of others. In Acts 4, we are introduced to a man named Joses. We know him better by the name given to him by the apostles, Barnabas. The name the apostles gave him means “son of consolation” (Acts 4:36). To console someone means to comfort and encourage. Throughout the Bible, we find Barnabas living up to his surname.

In Acts 4, Barnabas assists the poor saints by contributing the profit from the sale of a piece of property that he owned. He had compassion upon those who were less fortunate than himself. Psalm 41:1 teaches that we should consider the needs of the poor. Many Christians today act as if every poor person is lazy. It is true that we should not assist those who are able to find employment but are not willing to work (2 Thess. 3:10). However there are many who are not physically able to work and many who cannot find employment. Our Christian beliefs should govern our behavior as well as our beliefs.

After Paul was saved on the road to Damascus, the believers were naturally skeptical of him. His reputation scared them, and they thought he might not really be a disciple of Jesus (Acts 9:26). The Bible states “but Barnabas took him, and brought him to the disciples” (Acts 9:27). Barnabas was willing to intercede on Paul’s behalf. Most avoided Paul, but Barnabas saw him as a brother in need. He risked his own testimony to help another.

In Acts 11, when the work of the Lord needed help in Antioch, Barnabas was sent for to come and help. The people were glad to see him arrive, and he encouraged them in their faith (Acts 11:23). Barnabas is described as a good man, full of faith and God’s Spirit, who brought many to the Lord (Acts 11:24). Someone once said that some people are a blessing when they come and some are a blessing when they leave! Barnabas was a blessing to God’s people and the work of the Lord. He provides a wonderful example to us of how to put God’s principles into our daily lives.

The epistle of Jude is a small letter with an important message for the body of Christ. The
theme of the writing is the necessity for Christians to “contend for the faith” (v. 3). In verses 4-19, Jude records a warning concerning the wickedness of the world and the corruption of apostate teachers. Verse 20 reconnects with the context of verse 3. In verses 20-23, the Bible describes how we can contend for the faith.

The text of verse 20 says that we should be building up ourselves on the most holy faith.
We must strengthen our faith by spending time in the Scriptures (Rom. 10:17; Acts 2:42). The Bible will build us up, and as a result the church will be strengthened as well (1 Cor. 14:12). We are instructed to be praying in the Holy Ghost (v. 20). Prayer is a primary activity of Christians. We must pray in accordance to God’s will (Eph. 6:18) and with the intercession of the Spirit (Rom. 8:26).

Another activity of contending for the faith is keeping us in the love of God (v. 21). A
believer cannot lose his/her salvation, but it is possible to turn away from God’s love (Rev. 2:4). The phrase “love of God” may refer to our love for God or His love for us. It is vital that believers continue in God’s love (John 15:9). This is accomplished by our obedience in the keeping of God’s commandments (John 15:10).

Contending for the faith is accomplished by looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus
Christ unto eternal life (v. 21). Christians have a hope that is steadfast and sure (Heb. 6:19). We must be looking to the promise of heaven (2 Pet. 3:13, 14) and the Lord Himself (Tit. 2:13). Finally, we are able to contend for the faith by pulling the lost out of the fire (v. 23). We must evangelize our world. People are dying and going to eternal damnation without Christ. If we are going to “make a difference” (v. 22), we must be motivated by both compassion (v. 22/ 2 Cor. 5:14, 20) and fear (v. 23). The thought of our friends and loved ones going to hell should move us to witness of the salvation in Christ – we need to make a difference!

My prayer for 2011 is that all of us who are born-again believers in Jesus Christ will
contend for the faith and thereby make a difference in the world around us!

A new year brings the optimism of a new beginning. The Christian life is founded upon
God making us new creatures at salvation (2 Cor. 5:17). God promises one day to “make all
things new” (Rev. 21:5). As we stand on the brink of a new year, it is beneficial for all Christians
to examine themselves (2 Cor. 13:5).

Assessments in our life must be prioritized. Life is comprised of relationships. The most
important relationship must be our relationship to the Lord. Jesus told us to seek God’s kingdom
and righteousness before everything else (Mt. 6:33). As we begin 2011, we must evaluate our
personal walk with God.

John Wesley encouraged his church members to daily ask themselves certain questions.
Some of these questions were:

1. Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I really am?
In other words, am I a hypocrite?

2. Do I confidentially pass on to others what has been said to me in confidence?

3. Can I be trusted?

4. Am I a slave to dress, friends, work or habits?

5. Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?

6. Do I give the Bible time to speak to me every day?

7. Am I enjoying prayer?

8. When did I last speak to someone else of my faith?

9. Do I pray about the money I spend?

10. Do I disobey God in anything?

11. Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?

12. Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy or distrustful?

13. Am I proud?

14. Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold a resentment toward or
disregard? If so, what am I doing about it?

15. Do I grumble or complain constantly?

16. Is Christ real to me?

Hundreds of years have passed since John Wesley advocated his followers to meditate
upon these questions. However they are still relevant to Christians of our generation. May we all make the decisions and changes that are needed in our lives as we seek to walk closely with the Savior, Jesus Christ.