Alright, I'm going to head out.

“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). What was his problem? This is the question I asked myself as a child after hearing this biblical account. The answer is that he simply wasn’t thinking. The rich young ruler had everything any common person could have during his time, including social status. Why would anyone want to give all of that up to follow a stranger who probably didn’t have a pot to pee in?

We can ask the same questions about those who have great power or influence and are considering joining our churches. If we can explain to them why it is beneficial for them to explore their sudden desire to draw near to God better than they can, then we will win them to Jesus. The rich young ruler saw Jesus’ offer as a lose/win situation. In other words, I lose all of my valuable possessions and influence just so you can win another groupie. He was wrong. If only he could see the Kingdom of God that was everything he needed and more.

Contrary to popular belief, Jesus did not come to pimp us, he came to save us from our sins. Matthew 12:23, “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.” All this man knew was the deceitfulness of riches. Had he known Jesus was God’s son and understood that what he had to offer was greater than anything this man could ever attain, he would have willingly sold everything and gave it to the poor. The problem was that he did not have the faith to understand why blindly trusting God is beneficial.

Prayer: Lord we know you do not want us to be attached to any of the things we have acquired here on earth. We understand that eyes have not seen, nor ears heard, neither has entered the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. Give us the sense enough to receive you. In Jesus' name, it is so!

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