Speaker 1: Most of us eat every day, some of us too
much because yesterday's food is not enough to supply energy
for today's needs. Why then, do some of us expect
yesterday's portion of heavenly manna the word of God to
keep us through today's challenges. On this program, we are
going to change all of that. Let's experience God's words
today and receive the power we need to live healthy,
vibrant lives. Welcome to Your Daily Portion with your host,
author speaker Elle David Harris.
Speaker 2: Good morning, Good morning, Good morning. It is Tuesday, August twenty,
twenty twenty four. Hello, my name is El David Harris.
I am your host, and this is your Daily Portion
where we give you God's word every single day and
today is no exception. We are continuing in our Lesson
study series. This is lesson number eight through the Book
of Mark under the caption the Best Investment, the Best Investment.
Before we get into that, like to say welcome to
you and ask you to please go over to your
Daily Portion dot com. Please join our online community, pick
up your Daily Portion book and let us know where
you are in the world at your Daily Portion dot com.
This is one of the ways that we continue to
build faith and fellowship. Let's go ahead and pray, and
then we will get underway. Father in heaven, thank you
for giving us this day and the privilege that you
have entrusted to us to live and to breathe and
to have our being. Father, thank you for giving us
the best example of investment in this life through Christ.
I pray now that we will make that investment and
live eternally in Jesus name. I pray, amen and amen again.
The best investment? I am tempted to ask you to
type in the chat what the best investment was that
you have made. It could have been financial, it could
have been based on relationship, it could have been otherwise. Yeah,
I think I'll go ahead and ask you to do that.
And please don't try to sell anything in the chat,
because that's disrespectful, right, That's not what I'm asking you for.
What is the best investment you've made? Was it in
real estate? Was it in you getting your health on
track because there was something not so right about your
health journey? Was it something in terms of business? What
was the best investment that you made? And of course
we know that our investment in our children is a
big one. We know that the absolute best that trumps
everything is in our relationship with God, so maybe that
should be a foregone conclusion. But apart from your relationship
with God, what is the best investment that you've ever made?
Very interesting question, and yeah, let's let's tease it out
just a little bit. But let's begin now from the
Book of Mark, the Book of Mark, chapter ten, and
I will read beginning at verse seventeen, and I'll say
that probably the best, and I'll have to think it
through some more. The best investment that I ever made
was becoming a coach, a life and success coach. That
was probably the best one that I made. Apart from
relationship with my wife and my son and connection with God.
That was probably the best investment that I've ever made. Okay,
so we begin with verse seventeen of Mark, chapter ten,
and the Bible reads And when he was gone fourth
into the way, there came one running and kneel down
to him and asked him, good Master, what shall I
do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said,
unto him, why callest thou me good? There is none
good but one that is God. Thou knowest the commandments.
Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal,
do not bear false witness, defraud not honor thy father
and mother. And he answered and said, unto him, Master,
all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus
beholding him, loved him. I want you to get that part.
So Jesus is giving the man what he needs to
consider intellectually. But he's about to make a transition, right.
He's appealing to his understanding first. It's very interesting, probably
because Jesus understands how this man thinks. And then he
looks on him deeply, like he's looking into his eyes,
no doubt, And he loved him and said unto him,
well there's one thing that thou lackest. And I can
imagine the man thinking, well, what else could there be?
And he said, go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast,
and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure
in heaven, and come take up the cross and follow me.
Wait a minute, now, hold on, hold on, hold on,
hold on. Remember when I asked you what your greatest
investment was, what if God said, okay, turn away from
that investment. I have to apply that to myself. I said,
likely the best investment I had was in becoming a
coach of successful people. And if God said, turn away
from that, and I'm thinking, okay, nineteen ninety six, this
is when I began my career in behavior modification and management.
Two thousand and one I started to get into behavior
style and personality assessments, etc. And that is the driving
force for whatever I am doing in twenty twenty four.
So from nineteen ninety six to twenty twenty two, I
was building in my mind, my intellect, my ability to
reach people in a certain way, to get to where
I am now in twenty twenty four, at the level
that I'm doing it. And God says, turn away from
all of that, turn away from all of that, And
I want you. I want you to to give to
the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven. What
would I do? What would you do? Considering your answers,
what would you do? And he says, and take up
the cross. Wait a minute, now, the cross is not
something that doesn't sound complementary. The Cross doesn't sound like
something that I would be interested in having. It's not
something that seems like a light burden. We know what
happened on the cross? Don't we? I think the Bible
says cursed is the one who is hung upon a
tree or the cross. It was an instrument of torture
and of death. It was it was. It was done
against criminals or those being suspected to be criminals. Hmm.
He said, take up your cross and follow me, Follow
you where. Jesus, thinking of my behavior style, my natural style,
would ask the questions like, Okay, I hear what you're saying.
You're setting up a contrast. I think I know where
you're going with this, but I'm not too sure. So
I have about twenty seven questions before I can follow you.
But Jesus does not make provision for that. He said,
I need you to sell right now, give to the poor,
and thou shalt have treasure in heaven. Come, take up
your cross and follow me. Follow you where, wherever, wherever
I am going Verse twenty two. And he was sad
at that saying. Why was the man sad at that? Saying?
Because because he went away grief, for he had great possessions.
And Jesus look round about and seth unto his disciples.
How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the
Kingdom of God. And the disciple were astonished at his words.
But jesus answereth again and said, unto them, children, how
hard is it for them that trust in riches to
enter into the Kingdom of God. It is easier for
a camel to go through the eye of a needle
than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom
of God. And they were astonished out of measures, saying
among themselves, who then can be saved? And Jesus looked
around upon them and saith with man, it is impossible,
but not with God. For with God all things are possible.
Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, Lord, we
have left all and have followed thee. And Jesus answered
and said, verily, I say unto you, there shall no
man that has left his house or brethren, or sisters,
or father or mother, or wife, or children, or lands
for my sake and the gospels. But he shall receive
an hundredfold now in this time houses and brethren and
sisters and mothers and children, and lands with persecutions, and
in the world to come eternal life. But many that
are first shall be last, and the last first. So
much to say, so little time. Jesus gave us the
blueprint for investing in eternity, and he said, even as
you are living on planet Earth, if you invest in me,
invest in eternity. If you seek first the Kingdom of
God and his righteousness, all of the things that are
needful will be added unto you. I will give you
a community of believers. I will give you the kind
of faith that you need to get through trials, and
I will make provision for all of your temporal and
eternal needs. Make it a great day.
Speaker 1: Thanks for joining us listening. Friends. Always remember we cannot
live by bread alone, but by every word that comes
from the mouth of God. This has been your daily
portion with El David Harris. Make it a great day. Yeah,