This post may contain affiliate links. Click here for my affiliate disclosure. If you purchase items through my affiliate links, I receive a small commission but your price doesn't change.
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.
(Matthew 19:21-22)
A rich young man came to Jesus, asking the age-old question: “what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” The verses above were Jesus’ answer. Salvation, of which eternal life is a result, is a submission of the will to an Almighty God, and Jesus knew that this young man would have to give up his earthly possessions in order to fully surrender. The young man was obviously attached to temporal things more than he should’ve been. Jesus wasn’t advocating works-based human(itarian)ism, but He was getting right down to the core of this young man’s heart issues: self.
This young man was faced with a choice. Eternal life…or his possessions. As we see here, he considered the price put on a blissful eternity too high to pay. How sad that he wasn’t willing to give up the pleasure of the moment for his own eternal good (not to mention the glory he could’ve given to God)!
I looked at these verses and scoffed. “Never would I be so foolish as to throw away my eternity for the sake of fleeting pleasure!” But wait…
What about all that time spent listening to secular music when I could’ve been listening to spiritually uplifting music?
What about the time I spent working on my blog when I could’ve been reading stories to my little brother?
What about that time I spent talking to my good friend when I could’ve been talking to the girl I don’t know so well?
What if it’s not about good versus bad, but rather good versus best?
Isn’t that what the young man here was facing? His possessions might not have been bad in and of themselves. In fact, they probably weren’t. But they were holding him back spiritually…they cost him his eternal life…because he wasn’t willing to give them all up for the sake of Jesus Christ.
Good versus best.
God deserves all of me.
Thanks for these thoughts, Briana. The young man’s problem was IDOLATRY ! I read a sermonette recently that said that all sin can be traced back to idolatry. Ouch ! Could it be that FOOD is an idol to some of us ? I know we need to eat or we’ll shrivel and die, but … When I think of millions of people living on the starvation line, and famine stalking the globe, are WE idolaters ? Food for thought, starting right here …
This is a wonderful thought…I never thought of it this way, “good versus best”. I am thinking of the many choices I make in one day and how I could more optimally choose for spiritual things. This post was very edifying to me today. Thank you for sharing what God put upon your heart. 🙂
Love this blog. Thanks for the reminder to keep Jesus first.
I’ve recently read about this in a book, where the author questioned, what in her life equates to her “riches?” If Jesus asked me, what would I need to give up? My time, money, possessions? The answer will be different for all of us. What do we hold closer than our relationship to Him. It’s an humbling thought to ponder. Thank you for your insight on this, Jesus deserves our best.
That’s neat; what book was it? I’d be interested in reading that.
http://smile.amazon.com/What-Happens-When-Women-Faith-ebook/dp/B005T0YHWS/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1429974890&sr=1-6&keywords=lisa+terkeurst
It’s actually a bible study book and I am participating in it right now from her ministry. The passage referred to is in chapter 6.
Thank you!