The sermon at church yesterday just about knocked my socks off. You know I’ve been a little contemplative…for weeks, really…well, I heard exactly what I needed to hear.
Do you care if I share some of the message I heard, with some of my thoughts interspersed?
It was titled, “What Is In Your Wallet?” by my pastor, Mick Friend.
Mark 10:17-22 (New International Version)
As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’“
“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
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.”
At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
The people we hear about in history are usually people who have believed strongly in their causes. Some of them have committed to their causes for good~ Mother Teresa, Gandhi, to name a couple. Others have committed to their causes for evil~ Hitler being a prime example. It’s weird to think about~ that these people actually have something in common, but they do~ they gave their all.
It’s the people that really go for it that we remember and either respect or despise.
There is a phrase we hear in church~ “sold out for God.” It means exactly what it sounds like: to be heart, soul, and body…everything committed to God.
The rich young man had the Teacher of all Teachers in front of him, the one who could tell him how to get eternal life. He sounds as if he was an honorable man~ he had followed all of the commandments since he was a little boy. But when Jesus asked him to essentially give Him his all…there was just ONE thing he was holding back…ONE thing he lacked.
Have you ever heard of anyone walking away sad because of their wealth?
But he knew he had something that he couldn’t or wouldn’t give up and he walked away.
We don’t know this man’s name. Don’t know where he lived. Don’t know his children. Don’t know where all those riches ended up…
We remember him as the rich guy who missed out in a big way.
As I look back over the scriptures, I am struck with the fact that Jesus looked at him and loved him. I could be wrong, but I believe He knew ahead of time that the man was going to walk away from Him and not look back, but Jesus loved him anyway.
There is something in all of us that we try to hold onto~ maybe it’s pride, wealth, our family, our job, our identity…there’s something in all of our “wallets” that we may try to let go of, but that we hang onto until the very last breath…
What is that for you?
I’m convicted to the core. I haven’t been fully committed. I’ve been holding some of myself back. I have several things in my wallet. I’m shaken. I’m awake. New.
How can I be all that God wants me to be when I won’t even give him my best? I pray that whatever I do, I do with my whole heart. Passionately. Living in bliss. Free.
See if any of these questions hit you:
Are you living, really living?
Are you happy?
Are you living someone else’s dream?
Are you just following the prototype, doing step after step what is expected of you, rather than doing what is right for you?
Our pastor prayed that God would awaken the giant in each of us. What a powerful prayer. That we would be shaken to go live the life God has for all of us. That we would be sold out and follow Christ.
Can you imagine how the world would change if we were to all do that? The good would be unstoppable.
Anyway, I can’t even do the sermon justice. It was so much bigger than what I can even tell you. I will be thinking on this one for a long while. Hope some of it hits you right.