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
Mark 10:17-22
Jesus had been teaching about the cost of discipleship, and now the question of the good rich man gave him a vivid real life illustration. When the man heard Jesus’ words, Mark says, he was shocked and went away grieving. And who wouldn’t be? There’s not likely a person among us who wouldn’t have done the same thing. We have become so accustomed to our prosperity that we can’t even conceive of holding a giant estate sale and giving all the proceeds to the poor. And we would have a thousand good excuses why we shouldn’t do it! And we would be right. In nearly all circumstances such an action would be totally irresponsible. But that’s not the point! The story is here not as an illustration of what we should do, but to make us think about our undeniable obsession with material possessions. We have become so connected to our stuff that we take scarcely any time at all to nurture the spiritual side of ourselves. If we manage to carve out half an hour per day for meditation and prayer, we are a rarity in our world. Make no mistake about it! Things exert enormous power and control over us, and it’s only when we begin to give them away that we can start to get a taste of freedom.
Thought for the Day: What things have a hold on me?
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