Matthew 19:25-26
When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?  But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

What hope we have, then, for where man is limited, God is not; where man will fail, God will succeed; where man lacks, God has something for it.  We have to get out of this mind-set of seeing everything only from a human or earthly perspective.  God’s ways are not our ways.  He is so high above mere human power and ability.  And so nothing is impossible to God, and no one is impossible for Him to reach.

It may be more difficult to reach the hard heart of the self-sufficient rich man, but God can chip away that hardness.  God can inject His truth.  God can surround with His love.  God can pour His grace out into that life, and the most reluctant and unlikely Christian can become the most fervent believer.  And it’s not just riches that make it seem so difficult for some to be saved.  There is all manner of sin and selfishness and unrighteousness that pulls us away from God, but the power and working of His Spirit can overcome all of those things.

God has not written anyone off, and so neither should we.  Perhaps the rich young ruler who went away so sad that day would eventually give his life to Jesus.  The Holy Spirit would continue to work in his heart.  He would remember his encounter with Jesus.  Maybe years from then as Christianity spread and the church grew, this man would once again hear the call of Jesus and come seeking Him.  And those years of the Spirit chipping away at his heart and the dissatisfaction he felt in a life filled only with vain riches and his dread of what was coming in eternity might pull him to a new place of repentance.  Maybe his perspective would change over the years—what he valued, what was important.  And instead of sinking down further and further into a life of selfish consumption, he would finally be set free from the pull of earthly riches and exchange them for heavenly treasure.

There are no hopeless causes where God is concerned, only hopeless people who need to put their hope and trust in Christ.  So may we keep proclaiming His truths.  May we refuse to write off any soul that has yet to experience the cleansing flood of Jesus’ love and mercy.  May we never give up on anyone, but instead continue on during difficult times and in hard situations, knowing that nothing is impossible with God.