“Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he
said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have
treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s
face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.”
This verse
begins with the fact that Jesus loved the man…he had compassion for him. He
wasn’t mocking him or throwing his wealth in his face. He wanted him to follow.
But there
was a problem. And it was non-negotiable … The young man claimed he had
followed the law since his youth, but the first commandment says: "Thou
shalt have no other gods before Me" (Exodus 20:3) …and his love of wealth
made that untrue.
“That’s no
problem” you say, I don’t love money more than Jesus…good, but is there
anything you would not give up to follow Him?
What about
your public image? What about your self-righteousness?
What about your comfort or privacy? Is there an idol in your life you need to
abandon?
Money
isn’t a bad thing…neither is reputation, or comfort. but loving any of these
more than you love Jesus is a deal breaker.
It is
telling that when the man walked away there was no counter offer…Christ didn’t
say “Okay, how about half of what you own?”.
Though Jesus loved him, He did not change the requirement.
The bar
cannot be lowered. If you love God and something else equally, your life will
be a two headed monster and you will be torn in half.
There is only
room for one Ruler in your life and you must choose. If there is anything that
is stealing your allegiance to Christ, you must destroy it. Abandon everything that competes for your commitment to the awesome God who gave His Son to save you.
Enjoy the
blessings God has bestowed on you, but worship the Giver, not the gift … and if
He ever says leave that behind and follow me…don’t hesitate because there will
be no compromise on that demand.
"More than once Jesus deliberately addressed certain
issues that quickly diminished the number of onlookers. It was commitment that
thinned the ranks."
- Chuck Swindoll
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