What Lack I Yet?
We all know the story of the rich young man who asked Jesus how he would get into heaven: by following the commandments. Well, he did all that since he was young...
"The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 19:20-23)
Well. What a bummer for him, huh? We've all shaken our heads at the poor young man's response to Jesus' invite.
But wait.....he sounds a lot like us, doesn't he?
1. All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
How many of you could say this very thing? You were born and raised in church, learned all about Jesus since before you could walk, and you just want to make sure you're not missing anything. Right? I got this, I mean, I did all of this for years! What else could there possibly be?
2. Go and see that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
Oh....but....I don't really have to do that, right? That was back then when people just up and followed Jesus while he was on earth....I don't have to actually sell all my stuff and do that, right? Yeah, that's what we all tend to think. But...what if we are missing this part?
3. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
How often do we put our possessions before Jesus? Far, far, too often if it is even once. And I guarantee we've all done it more than once. These days, how many possessions do we all have? Too many. And we've begun to bow to them, to materialism, instead of Jesus. We are loathe to get rid of anything, because we think we need it. But do we really?
4. Verily I say unto you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Are you rich? If you live in the Western world, and not in a third world country, than your answer had better be yes. I don't care if you're "middle class" or "lower class," you are rich. Doesn't it get more scary when you're included in that group? Rich? Oh yes, we're rich. We have technology up the wazoo, food on our table every day with more in the freezer and the pantry and the canning room. We have indoor plumbing and tons of different kinds of clean drinking water to choose from and great healthcare and dental care, etc. The list goes on. Admit it - we're all rich if you're in the categories I named earlier.
Do you know how much the disciples went out with? What they left with? Hmmm, let me think.....oh, just about....nothing. Stuff wasn't an issue for them. They didn't need it. They'd rather have Jesus, and spread His good news.
5. Lastly, yes, this applies to me too.
Trust me, I know. That is why I wrote this post: because all of the Stuff is getting to me. I feel the need to get rid of it, to focus more solely on the One who supplies all of my needs. And I know. It's hard. And I'm still working on what that looks like for me and what I need to do. It's a long process. But we've got a loving Father to help us.
The best part is the promise from Jesus a few verses later. Matthew 19:29 says, "And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life."
We are not abandoning everything for Christ for nothing. No, we will receive life everlasting in the presence of our Savior. Nothing on earth can compare to that, no matter what lies the devil tell us and that we tell ourselves.
What are you being called to forsake? What am I being called to forsake? What, as the Western Church, are we being called to forsake? And are we willing? I'm going to pray until I am.
"The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 19:20-23)
Well. What a bummer for him, huh? We've all shaken our heads at the poor young man's response to Jesus' invite.
But wait.....he sounds a lot like us, doesn't he?
1. All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
How many of you could say this very thing? You were born and raised in church, learned all about Jesus since before you could walk, and you just want to make sure you're not missing anything. Right? I got this, I mean, I did all of this for years! What else could there possibly be?
2. Go and see that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
Oh....but....I don't really have to do that, right? That was back then when people just up and followed Jesus while he was on earth....I don't have to actually sell all my stuff and do that, right? Yeah, that's what we all tend to think. But...what if we are missing this part?
3. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
How often do we put our possessions before Jesus? Far, far, too often if it is even once. And I guarantee we've all done it more than once. These days, how many possessions do we all have? Too many. And we've begun to bow to them, to materialism, instead of Jesus. We are loathe to get rid of anything, because we think we need it. But do we really?
4. Verily I say unto you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Are you rich? If you live in the Western world, and not in a third world country, than your answer had better be yes. I don't care if you're "middle class" or "lower class," you are rich. Doesn't it get more scary when you're included in that group? Rich? Oh yes, we're rich. We have technology up the wazoo, food on our table every day with more in the freezer and the pantry and the canning room. We have indoor plumbing and tons of different kinds of clean drinking water to choose from and great healthcare and dental care, etc. The list goes on. Admit it - we're all rich if you're in the categories I named earlier.
Do you know how much the disciples went out with? What they left with? Hmmm, let me think.....oh, just about....nothing. Stuff wasn't an issue for them. They didn't need it. They'd rather have Jesus, and spread His good news.
5. Lastly, yes, this applies to me too.
Trust me, I know. That is why I wrote this post: because all of the Stuff is getting to me. I feel the need to get rid of it, to focus more solely on the One who supplies all of my needs. And I know. It's hard. And I'm still working on what that looks like for me and what I need to do. It's a long process. But we've got a loving Father to help us.
The best part is the promise from Jesus a few verses later. Matthew 19:29 says, "And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life."
We are not abandoning everything for Christ for nothing. No, we will receive life everlasting in the presence of our Savior. Nothing on earth can compare to that, no matter what lies the devil tell us and that we tell ourselves.
What are you being called to forsake? What am I being called to forsake? What, as the Western Church, are we being called to forsake? And are we willing? I'm going to pray until I am.
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