Are you lacking one thing?

“Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ¹⁸ And Jesus said to

him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’”²⁰ And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” ²¹ And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” ²² Disheartened by the saying[GR1] , he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.  Mark 10

We know the full value of the sacrifice of Jesus.  Yet, I am still not sure that I could sell all that I have and give it all away.  I know the right answer would be yes, I could do that.  But we do not realize how much that “stuff” has a grip on us.  Just think about the things that bring you comfort…your home, bed, sofa, big screen tv, and your car.  These things were purchased because you liked them.  Imagine them all gone and not replaced.

This guy Jesus was talking with, was a great guy.  He had kept the commandments from his youth.  He was passionate follower of God.  Listen to his question, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  We would elect him to most of our church boards.  He is spiritually sensitive.  He even knew who to direct his question for the right answer, Jesus.  Yet he still lacked something.

Jesus said it was one thing he lacked.  It was not that he was rich.  It was that the possessions were of greater priority than Jesus.  He could not separate himself from the riches in order to obey Christ.

Jesus desires first place in our heart.  Seek FIRST the kingdom of God, Jesus says. Many use the terms time, talent and treasures as a template for evaluating your life.  Do you view your time as yours to spend as you which or do you see God as owner of all time even yours?  Do you use talents solely to benefit your position in life or do you see these gifts as an investment from God.  Do your spending habits reflect that you are stewarding God’s possessions wisely?

IF you are brave enough, ask God if there is a “one thing” that you are withholding from God?  Give Him time to answer.  Ask for ears to hear.  The answer could come from someone else…even your child.  Then be willing to make the great exchange…it is worth it.

Father, thanks for showing us how to love you more.  Thanks for revealing those things that are holding us back from pure devotion to you.  We love you deeply.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

---

 [GR1]c