Eye of the Needle

"Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." -- Luke 18:25, NIV

If we're going to have riches we will have to stay on our knees! This passage speaks of a gate in Jerusalem called the eye of the needle. When I was young I thought it referred to the eye of a sewing needle. There is no way anything could pass through that kind of needle (except, of course, a piece of thread). A camel could not pass through this gate unless it stooped and had all its baggage removed. After dark, when the main gates were shut, travelers or merchants would have to use this smaller gate, and then the camel could only enter unencumbered and crawling on its knees!

We need riches because as Joyce Meyer always says, "Ministry is expensive." God blesses us so that we can partner with him in ministry, not so we can stock all our barns with stuff. Riches won't keep you from entering the kingdom of God, but the love of them might. :)