What To Do

“All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.  When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”  Luke 18:21-22

What kind of people are we?  Have we been raised up right?  Were we taught right from wrong?  Do we make an effort to be good people?  Have we made a decision to seek and to follow the Lord?  Do we go to church?  Do we pray to God?  Have we turned from chasing the things the rest of the world runs after?  Have we found Jesus?

A certain man of power and wealth came to Jesus.  Does it sound like he had made many good decisions?  Had he done what he thought was needed to be ushered into the house of the Lord?  Would he have had the nerve to ask Jesus what more was left to do if he was not serious about his religion?  Would he even have bothered if it was not important for him to find out what the Teacher would tell him still needed to be done?  When Jesus heard that the man was sincere and had made a gallant effort to do what he had been taught to do, He gave the man one more suggestion.  But was Christ´s suggestion one the man wanted to hear?  Is it one that WE want to hear?

Jesus tells the man that there is another great hurdle to make.  He can see the sincerity and desire within the man.  But is there an enormous shift that still needs to take place?  Does He tell the man to sell everything he has?  Does He ask him to make a break with the world?  Does He ask that the man remove from his heart all the treasures that make up his comfortable living here?  Does He tell the man to let it all go?  Does He say all those delights which we let our hearts go out to, still need to be sold off?  Should any benefit that comes in return, be given away too?  Is there any wonder that the man went away sad?  How could any of us stand to part with the things we love here on earth?

We could attempt to make Jesus´ words preach to other people in a different situation than ours.  Or we could open our ears and our hearts.  We could listen and try to make His words bring the correct amount of healing to us.  We could choose a different path than the rich ruler who went away sad because he could not get his heart to part with the things which he loved.  Jesus goes on to mention that for a person who holds onto this world´s treasures, it is nearly impossible to make it into God´s Kingdom.  It is easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle!  The Disciples of Jesus see the drastic impossibility and want to know how it can be done for any of us.  What does Jesus say?

Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” (Verse 27)

Is our Saviour telling us He knows that we who live on this earth have an impossible task to perform?  Is He saying that we need to shift our interests from the very things we see, know and have here?  Is He telling us to look past all of this world´s treasures and delights?  Should we set our hearts on a treasure of a different kind?  Should we willingly part with any comfort, delight or possession in the hopes of attaining a higher goal?  Should we let everything go without thought of them and ask for closeness with God?  Should we seek a relationship with the Lord far before letting our heart warm to anything less?  Is this what Jesus asks us to do?

Dear Jesus, we have heard Your words.  What remains is our reaction to them.  Please help us NOT to be like the man who had too much here in this world.  Let us choose You today! 

Amen