"And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” (Mk 10:21) Says Christ to the rich young man, and note, our Savior "loved him." Why? Perhaps because he sought spiritual perfection.
Regardless, Jesus gives him the key. Be truly righteous, obedient to the Law, and give all that you have for the love of God and neighbor. And then you will have treasure in heaven as you follow Christ to Calvary and from there to eternal life. The man is grieved and walks away, for he had "great possessions."
And so to us; Christ looks down from the Cross in love and asks us to follow him. What holds us back, what earthly store of value locks us into the temporal at the expense of the heavenly? Is it wealth, literal cash with all the things it represents, is that where our heart lies? Remember, sinner, ye cannot serve God and Mammon. Or perhaps it's food, drink and beyond.
What aspect of the world, the flesh, and by extension the Devil, do we set our hearts on at the expense of life? To cut to the quick, who do we love, ourselves or God.
We must decide, and in that choice, that act of will, lies the difference between Heaven and Hell, life and death, salvation and perdition. I say again, on this choice hangs our eternal destiny.
Choose well, punters, in the power of the Spirit and by the grace of God, so that in following Christ on the way to the Cross we may be raised with and in him to everlasting life. And remember, it's harder for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven than a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.
Caveat,
LSP
8 comments:
A small point. Doesn't the"eye of a needle" refer to a low opening in the wall of old Jerusalem? Camels had to be unloaded than enter on their knees. That doesn't make the metaphor less applicable; just more understandable.
Thank you, Parson, for a very relevant sermon.
Addictions are very hard to admit to, whatever the craving.
To give up our homes and our guns is definitely hard, Parson.
Yes! Linked...
Thank you! And glad it was helpful.
It sure is, Linda, and I know you've been through it. So have I, though God's blessed me in Texas.
Is it wrong to say the sacrifice is primarily of heart and mind? Of course actions flow from this, whatever the context.
God bless.
There's argument over that, WSF, and consensus says "no" which is annoying because I was raised on that interpretation. I think the basic point is that we can't save ourselves, though wealth gives the illusion of being able to do so. Surrender to the grace of God is key.
No luggage racks on the back of a hearse, sort of thing. Which sounds/is trite but in the end what are we faced with? A total YES to God and NO to everything else. Therein lies salvation or perdition.
I pray for the grace of that "yes." Definitely need divine help!
drjim, I'm glad it was helpful. We must rely, more and more, year by year on the grace of God. There's joy in that, I'd say.
As for addictions... must give up smoking... again.
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