Mark 10:17-22 (The Message)
17 As he went out into the street, a man came running up, greeted him with great reverence, and asked, "Good Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?" 18 Jesus said, "Why are you calling me good? No one is good, only God. 19 You know the commandments: Don't murder, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't lie, don't cheat, honor your father and mother." 20 He said, "Teacher, I have - from my youth - kept them all!" 21 Jesus looked him hard in the eye - and loved him! He said, "There's one thing left: Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor. All your wealth will then be heavenly wealth. And come follow me." 22 The man's face clouded over. This was the last thing he expected to hear, and he walked off with a heavy heart. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and not about to let go.
I know of only one person who took the words of Jesus to the Rich Young Ruler literally.
He was a young, self-made millionaire at age 29. But as his business prospered, his health, integrity and marriage suffered. When his wife left him the shock led him to re-evaluate his life’s values and direction. He reconciled with his wife and then took a drastic step: they decided too sell all of their possessions, give the money to the poor and begin searching for a new focus for their lives.
They went to Koinonia Farm, a Christian community near Americas, Georgia where Clarence Jordan had established what he called
“A demonstration plot for the Kingdom of God.”
They worked on the farm for some time, feeding the pigs, harvesting the crops and spending time in contemplation prayer and conversation with Clarence Jordan, looking for practical ways to apply Christ’s teachings - to follow Jesus as Jesus tells the RYR to do.
The result today is known as Habitat For Humanity which has provided housing for millions of people around the world and is still going strong.
A ‘heavenly wealth” indeed!
What could the RYR have done had he followed Jesus advice?
More important, what can we do to follow Jesus advice and not let anything be more important in our lives then walking with Jesus in the face of life’s challenges and opportunities?
“I see life as both a gift
and a responsibility.
My responsibility is to use
what God has given me to
help his people in need.”
Millard Fuller
Prayer thought for the week: “Lord help me to surrender what keeps me from following you and take up the responsibility to be Your presence in my world. Making a heavenly difference in someone’s life. Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment