Today’s Scripture: Luke 18:28-30 (NRSV) (KJV) (The Message) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Tyler Connoley):
This is one of my mother’s favorite passages, because God brought it to her attention at a time when she really needed it.
My parents are missionaries, and we lived in Zambia from 1970 until 1982, when my parents were reassigned to Korea. As you can imagine, after many years in Zambia, my parents had accumulated a lot of stuff. Added to this was the fact that when my parents moved to Zambia, shipping had been inexpensive, but with the Rhodesian embargo of the late 1970s, shipping in 1982 was outrageous.
As we began to pack and weigh boxes for our final trip from Zambia, my parents began to weigh their priorities as well. Which of their belongings really mattered most, and which could be left behind? They had to make some tough decisions. Some of Mom’s wedding gifts were too heavy to ship. The same was true of many of her favorite books.
Every day, it seemed like Mom was deciding that some sentimental keepsake would be left behind. On top of this, she was realizing how many friends she would be leaving, and might never see again this side of heaven. We would have to say goodbye to people like Alice, our maid, who had become part of our extended family, but couldn’t move with us. The same was true for colleagues in ministry, and the students at the Bible School where my parents taught. Mom had put down deep roots in Zambia, and some days the pain of tearing out those roots seemed too much to bear.
Then, Mom read Luke 18:28-30, and it seemed like God was speaking directly to her: “You who are leaving house and family for the sake of the kingdom of God will get back much more in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”
Mom held onto that promise as if it were her lifeline, and God kept the promise. In Korea, Mom put down more roots and created new connections in the Family of God, but she didn’t lose the connections she had in Zambia. She had thought her world was shrinking, and instead God expanded it.
Many years later, in 1999, my parents were sent to Zambia for a short assignment, and for three months Mom was able to live again on the mission station where I grew up. She reconnected with good friends like Alice, and found those connections were as strong as ever. It was like a foretaste of heaven, and it was incredibly sweet. Mom might have missed some of the stuff she left in Zambia in 1982, but being part of the Family of God has more than made up for those losses. Like Paul, she says, “I count it as rubbish, compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:8).
Thought for the day: Have you had to give up possessions or family for the sake of the Kingdom of God? You will get back much more in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.