https://odb.org/2026/06/24/faith-rooted-in-god
Matthew 19:23–26 (NIV): 23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
I was inspired while reading a historical fiction account of the life of Mary McLeod Bethune, founder of Bethune-Cookman University. One account tells how in the early 1900s, she “described” the buildings at her school for young African American women to a wealthy businessman. But when he visited the “campus,” he found only one building. She’d described her dream to him, hoping that he would invest in the school. Bethune is credited with saying: “Without faith, nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible.” Her quote is similar to what Jesus told the astonished disciples who were asking questions about salvation. They were trying to figure out how people could “enter the kingdom of God,” or heaven (Matthew 19:24). They wanted to know “who then can be saved?” (v. 25). Jesus shared with His followers that faith in God was the only way, because “with God all things are possible” (v. 26). (Katara Patton, Our Daily Bread 24th June 2026)
The rich man was trusting in himself, his good works, and his wealth for eternal life rather than in God (Matthew 19:16-22). To highlight the impossibility that he could enter heaven based on his own merits, Jesus said it would be easier for a large camel to go through the small eye of a needle than for a rich man to save himself (v. 23). The Jewish belief at that time was that God bestowed wealth on the deserving. If a moral and rich person who had God’s favor couldn’t make it into heaven, then seemingly no one could (v. 25). Christ says it’s impossible for humans to save themselves but “with God all things are possible” (v. 26). God did the impossible and the unthinkable when “he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him” would “have eternal life” (John 3:16). As believers in Jesus, we can trust God—who can do the impossible—to help us. (K.T. Sim, Insight, Our Daily Bread 24th June 2026)
I think it is necessary that when we read and rely on Matthew 19:26 – “with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” – we must remember that it was taught by Jesus in the context of the impossibility of man achieving salvation on his own. Salvation is by the grace of God and that’s when John 3:16 comes into play – “For God so loved the world that God gave His one and only Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have life everlasting“. Thus, it should not be applied in every context of an impossible situation we face in life.
While it is true that there are things that man cannot do that God can, natural laws have been put in place by God Himself as the creator of all things. While God may heal us and the atonement of our sins by the death of Jesus enables healing, we will get sick if we do not take care of our bodies and until Christ returns, we are still living in our fallen earthly tents. We will age, get sick and pass on in due course.
However, Bethune’s quote is somewhat different – “Without faith, nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible.” Faith in God and the corresponding perseverance and pushing through will achieve much in terms of our dreams and vision. It basically means there are no limits as to what we may achieve if put our faith in God. Sometimes it involves breaking through as what medical science has achieved over the years. For example, a plague like small pox killed millions in the past have now been nearly fully eradicated through vaccination after birth.
As believers we put our faith in God and we trust that He will lead us through a meaningful life as we strive to achieve His plans and purposes for our lives. His Kingdom and its purposes come first as we seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. But if God has planted a seed of faith to see a bigger vision of what we see now through our physical eyes, follow that through and one day that dream and vision will come to pass as we continue to trust Jesus with our lives. That’s the story of Mary McLeod Bethune and that may become our own story in the context of our own dreams and vision.
Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and surely we will achieve more than what we now see. May the LORD our God open our spiritual eyes to see what’s not only in the spiritual realm like Elisha did for Gehazi, but also what lies ahead in terms of His vision for us, His plans and purposes for our lives! My prayer is that all of us will enter into and live in the center of His will and indeed achieve more than what our physical eyes can see or mind can even imagine! Amen!
Ronnie's Thoughts 