Luke 18:21-25 (NLT)
The man replied, “I've obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”
When Jesus heard his answer, he said, “There is still one thing you haven’t done. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
But when the man heard this he became very sad, for he was very rich.
When Jesus saw this, he said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God! In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”
“Lukewarm people will serve GOD and others, but there are limits to how far they will go or how much time, money, and energy they are willing to give.” (page 74)
The word of the day is “willing.”
Are we willing to give?
Many theologians, pastors, and lay people (that’s the rest of us) have dissected the preceding Scripture. But every time I read this passage, it causes me to think mainly of my motives. Did Jesus really intend this man in the story to sell every single possession he had and give all the money to the poor? Maybe he did. But it occurs to me that this was more a question of his motives than any thing else. A probe to see the condition of the man’s heart. A check to see if he was willing to give everything up for Jesus. Had he been willing in heart, he’d have jumped at the opportunity to give everything to Jesus.
Which inevitably leads back to us. Are we supposed to sell every possession we have- house and cars and toys and entertainment goodies- and give the money to all the poor around us? Maybe GOD is calling you to do so. But maybe he’s just questioning us to see if we’re willing to do that. Because if we’re willing to do it, we will do it if the time every comes to do so. To give everything. Or a check to help someone for the month. Or a car so they can get back and forth to work. Or a basket of groceries to fill a physical need. Or any number of things.
So check the motive of your heart today. If GOD said it was time to lay all aside for another, would you be willing?
Author’s Note: for more on this topic, read page 74 of Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Danae Yankoski
