Pursuits and Possessions

And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth." So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.

(Luke 18:21-23)

Success in the Christian life is never measured by what we possess, but rather what we give away. This “giving away” involves much more than material possessions; it reaches all the way down to how we see ourselves, and the value we place on everything and everyone around us. It’s not until we are willing to be empty of our own will and beliefs that we are ready to be filled, and we must be willing to know nothing before we can know anything at all.

"You still lack one thing.”

It is a strange thing to tell a rich man that he is still lacking. That is because Jesus does not count what a man has, but what He can give him. Our Lord will never seek to fill those who are already full, nor will He pry open a closed fist and force Himself upon us. But He will patiently wait until we realize how desperately poor we really are before revealing Himself. “Blessed are the poor in spirit . . .” (Matthew 5:3)

. . . he became very sorrowful.

God will challenge us by placing someone in our path that possesses a greater measure of the Spirit to provoke us to a holy jealousy. How we respond to that person says everything about our willingness to grow in the Lord. We are never the same after we’ve seen this person, and as a result, we will either shrink back into the false comfort of the familiar or pursue the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. The choice is ours . . .

Then Peter began to say to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You."

(Mark 10:28)

Love, understanding, and perfect peace,

Pastor Eric