Welcome to this Daily PBJ devotional. Read Genesis 26, Esther 2, and Matthew 19 today. This devotional is about Matthew 19. When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. Then some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason? Jesus answered, Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female, and said, For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate. Why then, they asked, did Moses order a man to give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away? Jesus replied, Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of your hardness of heart. But it was not this way from the beginning. Now I tell you that whoever divorces his wife except for sexual immorality and marries another woman commits adultery. His disciples said to him, If this is the case between a man and his wife, it is better not to marry. Not everyone can accept this word, he replied, but only those to whom it has been given. For there are eunuchs who were born that way, others were made that way by men, and still others live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it. Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. And the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But Jesus said, let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. And after he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there. Just then a man came up to Jesus and inquired, Teacher, what good thing must I do to obtain eternal life? Why do you ask me about what is good? Jesus replied, There is only one who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments. Which ones, the man asked. Jesus answered, Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness. Honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself. All these I have kept, said the young man. What do I still lack? Jesus told him. If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When the young man heard this, he went away in sorrow, because he had great wealth. Then Jesus said to his disciples, Truly I tell you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, Who then can be saved? Jesus looked at them and said, With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. Look, Peter replied, we have left everything to follow you. What then will there be for us? Jesus said to them, Truly I tell you, in the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel, and everyone who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or fields, for the sake of my name. will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first. This is God's Word. Compared to doing whatever you want to do and whatever the culture around you allows you to do, following Jesus is hard. If you want to follow Jesus, you shouldn't get divorced unless your spouse is unfaithful, according to verses one through 10. If you want to follow Jesus, you would be better off staying single, but that requires something unusual that isn't for most people, according to verses 11 and 12. Third, if you want to follow Jesus, you need to be childlike in your faith, something that is really difficult to do, according to verses 13 through 15. Also, if you want to follow Jesus, you must follow Him absolutely, even if He commands you to give everything you have away, as we saw in verses 16 through 24. Next, to follow Jesus, you have to rely on God because what Jesus requires is impossible apart from God's grace. We saw that in verses 25 through 26. That's quite a discouraging list, yes? But notice the rewards Christ promised to those who trust him and follow him in obedience. That's verses 27 through 30. He promised the twelve a share of his rule in verse 28e, and that everyone who lost something or someone following him would receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. That's verse 29 in the NIV. The kind of submission to Christ described in this chapter may cause you to fall far behind in the rat race of human life. But human life in this age is over quickly, while eternity lasts forever. Jesus promised more than fair compensation to those who follow him in this life. According to verse 29, you will get eternal life and far more, far better stuff in eternity when you actually have the spiritual capacity to enjoy created things without worshiping them. Following Jesus in this way might make you feel like a loser in this life. But expectations for this life are upside down. As verse 30 put it, but many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. So, do what Jesus says. It will be more than worth it. If you found this devotional helpful, please share it with someone who might be helped by it themselves. And I'll see you next time. May God bless you. Hope you have a great day today.