And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
Mark 10:17-22 KJV
In the context of this parable, the young man was seeking Jesus in regard to his salvation. Many times we read this story and our minds become burdened for those in our lives who seem to be holding on to something worldly instead of accepting the Lord. This week, the Lord has placed on my heart a perspective on this parable that is directly applicable to us as children of God.
We often run to Jesus and seek Him about something in our lives whether that be a storm, a desire for growth, etc. We pose the question “What shall I do?” Then Jesus replies to us, “Keep my commandments.” We examine ourselves and go through the list of many things we are doing right. Before long, we begin to think we may have it all together. At least that’s what we try to convince ourselves of anyway. We think, “Perhaps there isn’t anything I need to be doing after all. Maybe it's my turn to wait on Jesus to move.” We even sometimes feel the need to remind Jesus of our “goodness” in hopes that maybe He’ll see it and answer as we please. Then Jesus lovingly reminds us of that one thing we’re holding onto. That one thing that we knew was there all along but convinced ourselves it was okay because we are obedient in all of the other areas. Isn’t that enough?
Jesus loves us and He longs to take us to the next level whether that be in ministry or a new season. Many times, we are the hold up. Christ wants us to surrender all. Like the rich young ruler, we often have that one thing that we hold on to. That one thing that doesn’t necessarily seem wrong, but it is our hearts longing. It is where we place our security and comfort. We are too afraid to surrender it to the Lord, trusting that He alone will fill the void. We forget that He is enough. We lack the faith to trust Him with our future. We are unable to see how life could be without our one treasure. We instead chose to walk away grieved, taking our beloved possession with us. We fail to recognize how that “great possession” has then become our greatest burden.
This week ask the Lord to reveal to you what that “one great possession” might be in your life. Is there something you’re holding onto that may be a hindrance from God taking you to the next level? Will you choose to trust Him or will you opt for the comfort of what you know?