November 8, 2026 | www.GospelofJesusChrist.blog | River Wilde
I had an experience when I was young, serving a mission for my church.
One day, we were talking with people in a very affluent area of town. We met up with a man who invited us into his home. We told him who we were, and what he said in reply was exactly what this article is all about.
He said, “Look around, and see what I have. What could you possibly have to offer me that I don’t already have?”
His house was indeed beautiful, with an elegant pool, hot tub, and tropical environment. He took us to his garage to reveal his sports cars that were AWESOME!
He began to share stories of his life, filled with celebrity interactions, world travel, and things that only a wealthy person could experience. This gentleman could not stop talking about himself and his accomplishments.
He was “building his case.” What More Could You Possibly Give to Me?
A simple answer destroyed the momentum of what he was trying to prove… “You know, when you die, all of this will vanish from your existence. What will you have then?”
His face was disheveled, to which he replied, “I don’t believe in all of that.” I asked…”So, please share what you do believe with us.”
He had not thought about anything other than this mortal life. Since this was all there is, in his mind, he would enjoy all of the benefits that this world could offer, while ignoring anything that he did not know as a certainty.
As we walked out of his house, and even to this day, I realized that I was the one who was taught a lesson that day.
Matthew 19:24 (KJV)
“And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”
For all of us to relate for just a moment, we have all heard the phrase that “Money changes some people,” right?
Why do they say this? What exactly changes in those individuals? And what did Jesus mean when He taught, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”
Let’s start here, and investigate what Jesus was teaching.
In ancient times, there was a “Needle’s Eye” gate, which is described as a narrow entrance through a city wall. The only way a camel could pass through was to be unloaded and kneel down. This was a difficult process indeed. The camel would need to crawl on his knees to gain entrance. I’m certain that this must have often met with resistance from the camel. This is the reference Jesus was using here.
That being said, why is it difficult for a wealthy person to enter into the kingdom of God?
Great wealth can create a false sense of security, independence, and self-sufficiency.
When someone possesses abundant money, property, and material comforts, they may gradually begin trusting in those possessions rather than depending upon God.
Wealth can become the center of a person’s life, consuming their thoughts, ambitions, and priorities.
Jesus was not teaching that possessing wealth is itself sinful, but rather that the love of money and the unwillingness to surrender one’s heart to God can become tremendous obstacles to salvation. A person who believes they already have everything they need may struggle to recognize their greatest need of all: Jesus Christ.
The greatest danger of wealth is that it can convince a person that they are in control of their own destiny, when in reality, no amount of money can purchase forgiveness, salvation, or eternal life.
This wealthy young ruler in Matthew 19:16-22 demonstrated this very struggle. Although he had lived a religious life, when Jesus challenged him to surrender his possessions and follow Him, he walked away sorrowful because his wealth held such a powerful place in his heart.
Jesus was exposing what stood between this man and complete devotion to God.
First Timothy 6:10 (KJV) reminds us:
“For the love of money is the root of all evil.”
Notice that Scripture identifies the love of money, not money itself, as the danger. A wealthy person can certainly become born again and enter heaven, just as someone who possesses very little can reject God.
Ultimately, salvation is not determined by what we possess, but by whether we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ and received God’s gift of salvation through Him.
As Jesus declared in Matthew 19:26 (KJV):
“With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”
So, this being the case, how can a person who is trapped in the grip of love for money navigate through this challenge?
My answer might surprise you. God may assist you by simply removing all of the possessions that you have, or creating hardship in your life.
In an unrelated experience, I was shown this very solution when I decided that I no longer needed God in my life.
I had been successful in business, and seemed to be dealing with the challenges of life just fine on my own. In a prideful state, I decided that I could do it all on my own, and did not need God. I found it “troublesome” anyway, to pray for God’s assistance when I felt that it was no longer needed. I had become very “self-reliant.”
Some of you have heard the story, but I’ll continue…
On a snowy mountain, I was with a group of friends hunting elk.
A new handheld device had just hit the market: the GPS. I no longer had to worry about getting lost in such heavy timber, and a remote location to which I had never been before; I had my GPS to lead the way. I was VERY confident in this, again trying to manage my life with the material objects that can be found in something that I could control.
After a day’s journey by horseback, we established our camp. It was then that I set a location point on my GPS. No matter where I would be on the mountain, I could simply follow the tracking on the GPS and get back to our camp.
The next morning brought heavy snow, yet we were all filled with the excitement of the hunt. We all set out in different directions to begin the main event of the trip.
After several hours, I decided to use my “saving device” and track back to our camp. This would be a comforting assignment, allowing me peace as I continued to hunt, knowing I would be able to find my way back “home” regardless of the conditions of the day.
When I got the GPS from my pocket, I noticed that it was being erratic. I would be led one way, and the next moment, the navigation actually changed while I was looking at it, leading me in the exact opposite direction.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but thick timber, as well as heavy cloud cover and dense snow interrupted the signal to the satellites, causing unreliable information to be sent back to the receiver.
I wandered like this for quite some time. My tracks were quickly filled with snow, making it impossible to backtrack to camp. The mountain was extreme. Certainly, no trails, just THICK timber, fallen trees and snow that was increasing in depth.
The day went on… the night came, and I realized that I was in serious trouble. I could not survive these conditions overnight, the tempters were in the negative, and without the proper gear, I would surely freeze to death by morning.
I fired off a series of shots in the air trying to signal help, and reveal my location by sound… NOTHING! I was freezing, with no way to light a fire or even stay warm. It was pitch black, as the moonlight was not even present.
I knew that I would not survive. I was guessing that it was well beyond midnight, and I had no reasonable hope that I would successfully endure this challenge.
The times when I had thought to ask God for assistance were quickly removed from my mind. I didn’t need God, remember? Would I die with this same thought in my mind?
As I accepted my fate, while lying on my side in the freezing snow, I once again looked at my GPS… What I saw in the letters was profound… God Please Save. A solution was being offered from a God who hadn’t given up on ME.
Rolling onto my knees, I sobbed with regret, asking for forgiveness, and acknowledging that I could not do this on my own, and needed His help.
In the darkness of night, I rose to my feet and began to confidently walk in a straight line. No landmarks, markings, or any physical guidance, just the notion to continue walking forward over the fallen trees and obstacles. There was no “reason” nor “logic” regarding the direction that I was walking, only a reassurance that I must keep walking this way. That feeling was incredibly strong and reassuring.
I wasn’t even thinking, “I hope that I can find help.” It only felt like Walking was the answer. Walking was what I needed to do for whatever reason.
I walked for about 45 minutes… and you guessed it… RIGHT INTO CAMP, and a roaring fire. I was alive. I was SAVED!
I share this experience to show you how a loving Father in Heaven helps us even through our own weakness and prideful demeanor. He helps us sometimes by removing things from our lives or causing difficulties in order to humble us and ask for help.
Pride and the challenge of wealth are certainly the topic of today’s discussion. I offer this not as a threat from God in any way, but rather as a solution for those who are stubborn in their journey with God.
Challenge and hardships can redirect those who are wandering away from God. I also see this in God’s plan for the end times as well.
In our study of end times prophecy, we have learned of all of the mortal challenges that will take place in the final 7 years on earth, the Tribulation Period. Many of those hardships will be by the hand of God.
- Rise of conquest and deception — Revelation 6:1–2
- War and widespread bloodshed — Revelation 6:3–4
- Famine, food shortages, and extreme prices — Revelation 6:5–6
- Mass death from war, hunger, pestilence, and other causes — Revelation 6:7–8
- A great earthquake and terrifying disturbances in the heavens — Revelation 6:12–17
- Hail and fire; massive destruction of vegetation — Revelation 8:7
- A burning object strikes the sea; widespread destruction of sea life and ships — Revelation 8:8–9
- Fresh water becomes bitter and deadly — Revelation 8:10–11
- The sun, moon, and stars are partially darkened — Revelation 8:12
- Five months of extraordinary torment upon mankind — Revelation 9:1–12
- Enormous loss of human life associated with the Euphrates judgment — Revelation 9:13–21
- Painful sores upon those who worship the Beast and receive his mark — Revelation 16:2
- The sea becomes as blood and its living creatures die — Revelation 16:3
- Rivers and springs become blood — Revelation 16:4–7
- Extreme scorching heat from the sun — Revelation 16:8–9
- Supernatural darkness and terrible pain upon the Beast’s kingdom — Revelation 16:10–11
- The Euphrates dries up and the nations gather toward Armageddon — Revelation 16:12–16
- The greatest earthquake described in Revelation — Revelation 16:17–20
- Enormous hailstones fall upon mankind — Revelation 16:21
- The rebellion of the Beast and the False Prophet is finally destroyed at Christ’s return — Revelation 19:11–21
What is the purpose here?
Yes, God is defeating evil upon the earth; however, He is also offering difficulty in hopes that some of those who are on the earth at the time will become humbled and choose to come to Christ… to be “Born Again,” as taught in the New Testament by Jesus Christ.
Hardship is one of God’s ways to help rescue the prideful, for I have witnessed this first hand in my own life as I have just shared.
But what can a wealthy person do to ensure that their wealth does not interfere with their salvation?
It all starts with one question. Who is your “God?” What do you see as the thing that rules your thoughts? Is it your money, power, status, and the pursuit of material possessions? (Honesty here is key.)
Returning to the man on my mission, he had spent his entire life in pursuit of material things. “What more could a person offer me?” To me, his wealth and material things were his god. They possessed the mental and emotional control over this man. He had no time to even consider anything other than what this world had to offer.
Every person, whether they realize it or not, has something that occupies the highest place in their heart. For some, it is money, the relentless pursuit of wealth and financial security. For others, it is possessions, the accumulation of things they believe will bring happiness, satisfaction, and fulfillment.
Still others worship power, influence, recognition, and control, believing that their importance in this world determines their worth. But Jesus Christ gave us a profound warning in Matthew 6:24 (KJV):
“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
The question we must honestly ask ourselves is not simply whether we believe in God, but what are we actually living for? What consumes our thoughts, directs our decisions, and captures our greatest devotion? Whatever we place above God can become the very thing we worship, even when we do not recognize it.
There is nothing inherently wrong with having money, enjoying possessions, or holding positions of responsibility. It is not those things that are the spiritual problem.
The danger begins when these things become more important to us than our relationship with God.
Wealth can disappear overnight, possessions eventually deteriorate, and earthly power is always temporary. Yet the love of God, His promises, and the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ endure forever.
Jesus asked a question that every person should seriously consider in Mark 8:36 (KJV):
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
Imagine spending your entire life accumulating everything this world has to offer, only to discover at the end that you neglected the one thing that truly mattered — your eternal relationship with God.
Your true God is revealed not merely by what you say you believe, but by what you treasure most in your heart.
Jesus reminds us in Matthew 6:21 (KJV):
“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
So perhaps the most important question we can ask ourselves today is this: Am I using the blessings God has given me to serve Him, or have I allowed those blessings to take His place in my life?
I want to conclude today by saying something a bit “backdoor.”
Many of those reading this article have been saved, and know where they stand with God. But for those of you not there yet, I’d like for you to realize the purpose of what is coming to the earth.
When these traumatic hardships come, PLEASE acknowledge their spiritual purpose, and set your target immediately upon humility and NOT anger at a God who is “punishing you.”
For He is indeed giving you one last chance at salvation: spending eternity with Him, in heaven, rather than accepting a mark from a very convincing mortal leader whose intent is to take you with him to the lake of fire and spiritual death.
There are many living today who are asking… “What more can anyone give me?” To which I can confidently reply… Jesus Christ can give you Salvation… Everything for the period of time that’s FOREVER!
Give your life to Him today, and join us in the Rapture, so that we will be removed from all that is about to take place, is my prayer.
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