RYR (Rich Young Ruler)

And behold, a man came up to him, saying, Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?
And he said to him, Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.
He said to him, Which ones?
And Jesus said, You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honour your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbour as yourself.
The young man said to him, All these I have kept. What do I still lack?
Jesus said to him, If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me. When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
And Jesus said to his disciples, Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, Who then can be saved?
But Jesus looked at them and said, With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

I learned my prayers from balance sheets,
From men who smiled and shook my hand,
They said the meek don’t own the earth
If they don’t take it while they can.
I tithed my hours, weighed my worth,
Counted barns before the grain,
He said, Follow Me, I checked the cost—
Then I walked away the same.

So here I am, the king of the land,
Where moth and rust destroy,
Oh the schemes that I’ve employed,
But is it I who have been toyed with?
Is it I who have been played?
Was the reward long delayed—
Just a Ponzi scheme…
Or the American dream?

I wore my faith like Sunday clothes,
Pressed and proper, clean and neat,
Quoted verses ’bout the narrow road
While paving highways for my feet.
I heard the camel and the needle speak,
Laughed it off as metaphor,
But every mile I gained the world
I felt my soul slip out the door.

So here I am, the king of the land,
Where moth and rust destroy,
Oh the schemes that I’ve employed,
But is it I who have been toyed with?
Is it I who have been played?
Was the reward long delayed—
Just a Ponzi scheme…
Or the American dream?

They said, You’re blessed, I said, Amen,
When the numbers all went up,
I called the rising tide my god
And drank salvation from the cup.
But prophets don’t read market trends,
And crosses don’t compound,
And every throne I climbed upon
Was built on sinking ground.

So here I am, the king of the land,
Where moth and rust destroy,
Oh the schemes that I’ve employed,
But is it I who have been toyed with?
Is it I who have been played?
Was the reward long delayed—
Just a Ponzi scheme…
Or the American dream?

I shook the serpent’s hand,
He didn’t bare his teeth,
He spoke of growth and timing,
Said, You’re wiser than the meek.
No apple, just a contract,
No fire, just a pen,
I sold the crown I never had
To be a king among men.

Now I stand outside the wedding feast
With oil I never bought,
I traded mercy for a return
And freedom for a thought.
The Kingdom came without a price
But I wouldn’t take it free,
I bet my life on interest gains—
Turns out the cost was me.

I thought the needle was the problem,
Turns out it was my hand.
Still clenched around a kingdom
I was never meant to stand.
Then mercy did the impossible,
What wealth could never do—
The camel passed right through the eye
When grace came breaking through.

So here I am, the king of the land,
Where moth and rust destroy,
Oh the schemes that I’ve employed,
But is it I who have been toyed with?
Is it I who have been played?
Was the reward long delayed—
Just a Ponzi scheme…
Or the American dream?