Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Today we witness the Good Teacher taking advantage of a teachable moment.

Today’s scripture, Luke 18:24‭-‬27 (AMP) says…
Jesus looked at him and said, “How difficult it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man [who places his faith in wealth or status] to enter the kingdom of God.” And those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” But He said, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.”

Consider…
One thing I have observed about most teachers is they’re always teaching. For them teaching never stops and every moment is an opportunity for learning.

When I read through Jesus’ three and a half year Master’s program with His disciples, I see Him continuously seizing opportunities for learning. Indeed teachable moments were a hallmark of Jesus’ teaching.

According to Wikipedia, a teachable moment, in education, is the time at which learning a particular topic or idea becomes possible or easiest.

In today’s scripture we witness a teachable moment Jesus seized from the rich young ruler’s failed test of faith. Let’s look closer at what Jesus taught.

First, Jesus used this moment of the rich man choosing wealth over it’s True Owner, God, as an example of misguided faith. This man, like too many of us, placed his faith in the resources rather the Source. Romans 1:25 (NLT) explains it this way…
They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.

Lesson one from today’s teachable moment is to make sure your faith is not misguided (mis-god-ed), which means it must be in God alone.

The second lesson in this opportunity for learning is the impossibility of misguided faith.

There’s a popular idiom that says “money makes the world go round”. According to Quora it suggests that financial resources are a fundamental driving force in society and the economy. It implies that money influences many aspects of life, including relationships, decisions, and opportunities. Essentially, it highlights the idea that economic transactions and the pursuit of wealth are central to how society operates, affecting everything from individual choices to global interactions. The phrase often carries a tone of cynicism, indicating that financial considerations often take precedence over moral or ethical concerns.

In Luke 16:13 (NLT) Jesus pointed out…
“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”

In our scripture today, the rich man’s issue wasn’t that he was wealthy, it was that he chose wealth as his master.

The Holy Spirit cross-referenced Romans 6:16 (NLT) to reiterate this point…
Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.

Jesus asked the man to choose Him over wealth, and the man failed. Is Jesus asking you to choose Him over something or someone?

In Luke 14:26 (NLT) Jesus said…
“If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.

It’s also important to remember that Jesus also said in John 14:6 (NLT)…
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

Thus, lesson two from today’s teachable moment is that it’s impossible to make it into God’s Kingdom if you don’t choose Jesus over everything!

Our third and final lesson from today’s opportunity for learning is that nothing’s impossible for God. Look at this exchange again…
And those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” But He said, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.”

There’s so much to unpack here, but we will limit our lesson to God’s grace. Jesus taught grace even though the disciples probably didn’t realize it. You see Romans 3:21‭-‬24 (NLT) explains…
But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.

Jesus used this teachable moment to show us that God made the impossible possible through Him. That, ladies and gentlemen, is another wonderful example of God’s grace.

So our final lesson from today’s opportunity for learning is that it’s impossible to save ourselves, but thanks be to God, salvation is possible through Jesus Christ!

I leave you with one bonus lesson today, which is God still uses grace filled teachable moments today. No matter what failures you’ve had, if you’re reading this, God has given you the grace to take the test again and pass by simply choosing Him.

It just occurred to me that life is really a two question test that we take moment by moment, choose Christ or don’t.

Today’s Song is…
I’ll Trust You

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)