Give It All




Mat 19:21  "If you want to give it all you've got," Jesus replied, "go sell your 

	possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in 

	heaven. Then come follow me." 

Mat 19:22  That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, 

	crestfallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, 

	and he couldn't bear to let go. 


	The rich young man had been faithful to keep the Ten Commandments, had 

experienced great success, but somehow knew that the way to eternal life had not 

yet been discovered. Here he was, certainly confident in his position in life 

and the elevation to which his attaining had brought him. Yet, still, when he 

came across Jesus, it must have been obvious that there was something yet 

missing, the way to a life that would transcend the present and extend 

eternally. His persistent inquiry revealed what had kept him from it, and what 

would continue to separate him from an unending life of abundance. For so long 

he had given himself, mind, body and soul to the acquisition of title and 

possessions to the point that his heart was very much attached to these things. 

Though he had included religious requirements in his disciplined life in an 

attempt to cover all the bases and insure his validity, his dealings with God 

were separate from his business dealings. Though there was importance placed on 

religion that was part of his heritage, as a worship part of his heart, the 

business of prosperity would always take a much higher precedence. It wasn't as 

much of a doing problem as much as it was a heart problem. The riches in his 

life had just brought him heart disease and he refused to comply with what the 

doctor prescribed as a remedy. 


	Though the rich young man may be set as a tragic example of a man holding 

on to a few mere riches instead of enjoying eternal abundant life with the King 

of kings and the Lord of lords, there surely is an example to be found in him 

for everyone living. After doing all that is before us, there may be frustration 

with lack of progress towards an eternal purpose. If so, a persistent pursuit of 

the answer in God will probably show an area of the heart that is still held in 

the passion for some other aspect of life. Attaining eternal life will never 

take place until the substance of that life has full control of all areas of the 

heart. It's not that there may not be other areas, and that diligence and hard 

work shouldn't be given to various endeavors. It's just that there cannot be a 

separation between those things and the One who holds all areas of peaceful 

gratification in the palm of His hand. As riches are gained and relationships 

developed, as skills are honed and techniques mastered, there can be an 

inclusion of the Master in each of these passions so that they don't become a 

separating element, but a joining and uniting part of our relationship with Him. 


Mat 19:24  Let me tell you, it's easier to gallop a camel through a needle's eye 

	than for the rich to enter God's kingdom." 

Mat 19:25  The disciples were staggered. "Then who has any chance at all?" 

Mat 19:26  Jesus looked hard at them and said, "No chance at all if you think 

	you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God 

	to do it." 


	Trusting and honoring God in all things, then, without holding on to 

anything as if it were really our own, will transform life from an endless list 

of impossibilities to the beginnings of an eternal abundant life adventure in 

the presence of our Savior. 


1/20/05