READING: 1 Samuel 15-16, Luke 18:31-19:10
We don’t know for certain what motivated the young ruler to come to Jesus, but he was asking an important question about eternal life. Jesus’ ultimate response, though, brought grief to him. He was to sell all he had and distribute the proceeds to the poor. Apparently, though, his wealth had become an idol to him. He likely could not imagine life without his dollars. The cost of following Jesus would simply be too much—so the ruler chose to cling to his wealth. His funds had become an idol to him, and he was unwilling to give them away. The man who claimed he kept the commandments was living in rebellion to the first commandment, and he walked away both sad and rebellious.
This text pushes me to ask, “What in my life would I least want to give up if Jesus commanded it?” What temporary things would I cling to—at least for a while—rather than surrender all according to the will of God? I may be deceiving myself, but I suspect my answer to the latter question would be different at 60 than it would have been at 25. As a young man, I was striving for stuff and recognition that I may have fought to keep; as an older man now, I’m learning that none of that matters in the first place. What matters is following God at all cost.
Still, though, I don’t want to be ignorant of my own idols. God help me.
PRAYER: “God, show me any place in my life where I’m clinging too strongly to things that are only temporary.”
DAILY ACTION STEP: Pray today for some young folks who seem to be living for the world rather than for God.
TOMORROW’S READING: Weekend is for catch-up and review
MONDAY’S READING: 1 Samuel 17-18, Luke 19:11-48
