Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Mark 10:21)
It’s not what we earn (as if we earned anything) that gives our lives meaning. It is what we do with what we are given. Jesus truly loved this young man who had many possessions. The last thing Jesus wanted to do was to strip him of anything that could have brought him lasting peace and joy. But Jesus knew that this man’s things were getting in the way of a rich and rewarding life. Jesus knew that the best way for him to enjoy what he’d been given was to give it away.
We can’t find true satisfaction in consuming or clinging to the things of this world. The most we can enjoy is temporary gratification. We may find some measure of comfort and ease as we accumulate things. But, at best, these distract us from how meaningless this life can be, how poor we really are, when we lack a vital and enduring relationship with God in Jesus Christ.
Henry Ward Beecher once said -
“It is not what we take up, but what we give up, that makes us rich.”
Nice post.
Blessings,
Debbie aka The Real World Martha
Absolutely!
I totally agree!!
Christy:)
Thanks for this refreshing view. It seems that caring for the poor is so often forgotten, even by those who care about Christian teaching.
Excellent!!!!
I was in a conversation a few days ago, and I was expressing a similar thought with regard to getting “Fatally Distracted” by the concerns of the world. My thought was that we need to learn how to be content with what we are already blessed with.
Grace & Peace Be With You.
The last line left much food for thought…
Wonderful quote. where did you get it from?
The Pistol fires back: Try “brainyquote.com”
Amazing how easily those words: ‘vital and enduring relationship with God through Jesus Christ..’ trip off the tongue-or even the keyboard… equally odd the uncritical affirmation they call forth…
I wonder how you personally experience these things and how far they have penetrated your being…and how do you know? What is the source of your insight and how much of your finance have you actually given up?
For myself I find great solace in this life-in its beauty in its sacramental numinosity, in its humbling defeats and its opportunites for the discipline of work and the accumulation of temporal security-the OT blessings of God were after all almost entirely couched in these terms- God comes to us at every instant in the wonder of creation and of our part in it. I also greatly enjoy being a succesful professional-having enough to take my family on holiday etc etc
The Pistol fires back: I can only tell you that I find satisfaction in nothing apart from Christ. Without Christ, I believe I would have ended my life long ago. I don’t have a huge income, but I give 18% of it away for the work of the Lord and I can honestly say I’ve received much more than I’ve given. I think it’s great you find solace in life and hope God continues to provide you this. It is a blessing. Enjoy. Thanks for responding.
Yes, but what precisely does it mean to say: I find satisfaction in nothing apart from Christ… Try and tell me in simple plain english what you mean-try to do this without religious jargon.
The Pistol fires back: Good challenge. I like it. How’s this? I happen to have bipolar disorder. When I’m high, the thought of God’s presence keeps me from going overboard. When I’m down, the thought of Christ’s love for me keeps me from killing myself. I can’t trust my feelings and find no lasting satisfaction in the things of this world. Yet, my faith in Christ grounds me in such a way that I can lead a meaningful and purposeful life no matter how I feel, no matter what I have, no matter where I am. How’s that?
Ok ..thats much better I can see you now!! I can echo all of that in my own life…. Yet as this’grounding’ process deepens I find a great love for the creation in all its glory also begins to stir up in my heart. Also a huge gratitude toGod for giving me a family and a decent job to keep me-like you- from going adrift. I think the real challenge of christian living is to try and hold all of the conflicting strands together(though not all at once)
By this I can delight in my life and in the contentment of my family and in my ability to earn a decent income that is important to me in order to hold my head up-yet I still must be vigilant against the greed and selfishness inherent in my own heart-so I must give as much as I can. I think it is neccessary to understand that Jesus always spoke out of his life-in othewords-having nothing he was perfectly entitled to speak to others about possessions-I’m not sure that applies so easily to me!! Tithing etc is a good guideline I think-rather like prayer discipline-the habits of holiness are necessary for those times when our hearts shrivel!!
The Pistol fires back: Amen!
How true.