Another day, a man stopped Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
Jesus said, “Why do you question me about what’s good? God is the One who is good. If you want to enter the life of God, just do what he tells you.”
The man asked, “What in particular?”
Jesus said, “Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as you do yourself.”
The young man said, “I’ve done all that. What’s left?”
“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.”
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. (Matthew 19:16-22)
*I* am holding on tight to a lot of things, and I can’t bear to let go.
There are a lot of things we can hold on tight to: food, the need to please people, busyness, bad habits, emotions…I hold tight to a lot of these.
But like the young man who approached Jesus, I can’t see the eternal forest for the temporal trees. Jesus was, and is, holding out the life of God, a life filled with the fruits of the Spirit. But I just want to hold onto my bad habits and *my* dreams, hoping that they will be enough, forgetting that Jesus is enough.
Will we let him be enough for us today?
I too struggle with holding on too tight. It is difficult to let go of dreams that you believe we’re placed there by God. But somehow during the pursuit of those dreams…even God dreams….things morph and I often find myself making the dream more important than the giver of it. There in lies the challenge….keeping His dreams for us in our hearts, but holding on loosely enough to allow for His goodness to lead us in the right direction…in His direction. Thanks for the reminder Christie!
LikeLike
Ah, yes, “making the dream more important than the giver of it.” Thanks for that word.
LikeLike
Thank you Christie! I needed your message today.
LikeLike
You’re welcome! I needed to re-read it too. 😉
LikeLike
Every post this month is hitting an area of need in my life. Thank you, Christie, for responding to the nudging of the God and sharing this message.
LikeLike
Well, you’re totally welcome! May his Spirit move in marvellous ways in your life.
LikeLike