October 12, 2018
Mark 10:17-22 …“Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’” vs. 21
The man in our text was craving more from life than he had been getting and he interrupts Jesus with his plea, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” The answer he got shocked him and he went away in sadness. We should be shocked too, but of course we aren’t. We’re familiar with Jesus and his sayings and we’ve developed ways of moderating or completely ignoring his radical instructions. There are probably none of us that would even think for a second that we are called to sell what we have and give the money to the poor. More often than not, our motto is “I’ve got mine and I’m going to keep it!” It’s not that we don’t give. Many of us give generously from our excess income to churches and relief efforts. But, seldom will those gifts be sacrificial. And that’s not going to change. No preacher or prophet is going to convince us otherwise. Even so, it would be sad if we didn’t at least take some time to meditate on the great truth behind Jesus’ words. Possessions and wealth can never give us the blessings of eternal life! It’s something to ponder. The stuff we love so much is the biggest barrier to the fulfillment of our deepest spiritual desires.
Thought for the Day: Why do I have so much stuff I don’t need?
0 Comments