PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Mark 10:17-27
What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?
“Jesus looked at him and loved him… ‘Go, sell everything…’” (Mark 10:21)
Jesus’s hard command needs to be understood in the context of His love.
Jesus loved this man, and saw what was really going on in him.
Jesus was not trying to drive this man away, but bring him to his knees.
To get him to say, ‘Lord, I can’t!’ instead of ‘look what I can do!’
Until we feel helpless to fully obeying God, God cannot help us.
The righteousness that surpasses religion is one that is received.
It is admitting our inability, so that God can provide is ability.
I believe this command to sell everything still stands today.
If we fully loved God and people, we would not care so much about stuff.
Jesus loves us enough to lay it on the line, to help us to see our problem.
This applies to all of Jesus’s radical words – they are beyond us.
The right response is to admit defeat, confess our weakness and ask for help.
We need to stop thinking our obedience is pretty good, we fall far short!
He died for our failure, He lives to help us change, one step at a time!
PRAYER
Lord, I cannot fully love God and others like I ought to. I can’t do what You ask! I need Your mercy and help!
Lord help me give it all up to serve you. Help me to be willing to do so at the very least!
Things and opportunities and responsibilities can distract me from a call to serve -especially today. The rich young man had an invitation to be a disciple of Jesus – to follow the Rabbi – but he was hampered by his wealth – “the more you have the more you have to be concerned about”. The latter is why I liked serving overseas – you took along what you needed and you lived more simply – yet even then I had adjust my responsibilities and obligations to be free to respond to a ‘need’. Help me Lord not to be tied to the things of this world that I am a steward of. Help me that I’m taking care of what’s yours and it is entrusted to me so that I can serve!
Where is my treasure?
Remember the monkey trying to get his fist out of the jar. He couldn’t until he let go of what he was holding. All I have is from the Lord and I need to set my heart on the treasures of heaven by serving Him here and now with the gifts received. I need to surrender all.
All to Jesus I surrender
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him
In His presence daily live
I surrender all
I surrender all
All to Thee
My blessed Savior
I surrender all
All to Jesus I surrender
Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel Thy Holy Spirit
Truly knowing that Thou art mine
I surrender all
I surrender all
All to Thee
My blessed Savior
I surrender all
All to Jesus I surrender
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power
Let Thy blessing fall on me