Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Where are you willing to go with Jesus? What if you had achieved great wealth while following Jesus and suddenly He said: “sell everything, give it to the poor and follow me to a different place now,” could you do this? Are you sold out to Jesus? Could you leave your job in an instant if He said: “we are going this way now, quit your job, leave your things and follow me.” Do you trust Him enough to do that? Is your treasure on earth or in heaven? What if your bills weren’t getting paid and the house and car were being foreclosed on, would you still follow Him?
How about if you were whipped, flogged, beaten, and thrown in jail as some of the disciples were, would you still follow Jesus? I wonder sometimes if our idea of following the Lord means that life will be in perfect order and there will not be struggles and trials. That’s not what the Bible says. James 1:2 says: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,”
I believe what Jesus is saying to us is, for us to be completely sold out to Him; we must not let anything we have or desire to obtain keep us from serving Him. We must remove anything from our lives that will hinder our service to Him and for the work of Kingdom. Christ loves us enough to die for us and He also loves us enough to talk straight to us. He does all this for us because, His love is complete and gives us life-changing challenges.
Reflections:
What is in your life today that is hindering your service to God?
Is it your position? Your level of income? Your statues in society? Whatever it might be, don't let it limit your service to God. He never promised following him would be easy, but He did promise to light the way that we should go.
Power verses:
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.--Matthew 5:12
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.-- James 1:12
Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;--Romans 5:3
2011 By Enyonam Gbekle. All rights reserved.
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