Matthew 18:18,22 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.

Look very carefully at the question asked and the question answered.

Now look at this question and answer.

Matthew 18:26-27 And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

Are they the same questions? Are they the same answers?

On the surface some might think they are the same questions with different answer but in truth they are different questions with the same answer.

Question 18, a rich man asks for an inheritance. Question 26 a poor man asks for salvation.

Answers to both questions, it is not within you to receive what you ask.

The reason why the answers are the same goes to heart condition. The rich man was not willing in his heart to give away all the wealth he had for an inheritance he could not see. The poor man had no place in his heart to give up the painful life he so desperately wanted to leave.

Inheritance and salvation are both the purview of God. We do not get to claim either one for ourselves. Both are grace gifts from God according to His plan for mankind. The receipt of the grace gifts are within our ability to accept, but we cannot define what those gifts look like or what they will do for us. That is according to God’s plan.

Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Psalm 115:3 But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.

Praise God if He has taken pleasure in you.

Philippians 2:2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

Ezekiel 38:10 Thus saith the Lord God; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:

Lately my mind has been bent on one thing. I have a desire for confirmation of my thoughts. I wait on a dear brother in the Lord to send me an assignment. Will he choose that thing in which my mind has given so much time and effort in searching out truth and light? Or will it be something else?

So I seek a word from the Word. In which of these passages will I find help from the Lord?

The answer must be to look in both places. If my mind is right I will find peace in Philippians and if my mind is not right I will find correction in Ezekiel. When seeking, why would I demand the Lord should agree with me? I must also explore the possibility of being wrong.

I’ve invested many hours in this and I want this assignment. That does not mean it is God’s will for me. Neither should I look to my dear brother and think that if he chooses another assignment for me, that he has not heard from the Lord. I must accept whatever assignment I am given with the heart of a servant who is grateful to have been chosen at all.

Seeking answers in the scriptures to current conditions only has value if you are willing to find an answer you might not want to hear. At risk here is my relationship with my brother and my Lord. Not that they have turned from me, but that I might put my own desires before the Lord’s needs. Can I find truth in scripture and accept the answer? I would like to think I can but how will I know without being tested.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Call me O Lord according to your purpose.