Sell Everything

A ruler asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life.  Jesus responded with telling the ruler he must follow God's commands.  The ruler said he had kept those since he was a boy.  Yet still Jesus said he was missing something.  Whether we have followed the commandments as closely as this ruler or not Jesus commands us all to, "Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come, follow me." (Luke 18:22)  Sell everything your wealth, sell your material possessions, sell your comfort, sell your food, sell everything that is not Jesus.  Give it to the poor.  Then after you have done this Jesus says "Come, follow me."  Are we willing to literally sell everything, to come follow Jesus?

Our purpose in this life is to love God and Jesus Christ our savior.  Love for God is defined in 1 John the word reads, "We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.  The man who says 'I know him', but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him.  This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did." (2:3-6)  How much do we know God, do we love him, do we truly seek him if we do not follow his command to sell everything and give to the poor?  

I will continue to write on this topic of losing everything to gain life to the full with Christ, as God has really really convicted me with the greed, comfort, and selfishness of my life.  Jesus never told us to live comfortably, he never said life would be easy, lazy, full of sitting, full of entertaining yourself, or safe.  He tells us that a life following him and loving him is full of adventure, risk, it is uncomfortable, against the grain, dangerous, not culturally normal, it is hard, but this life with Christ will be freeing and will be revolutionary.  God is not always safe, but he is always good and he is always king! I pray that I not only write about this, but that I live it.  I challenge you to do the same.

"You do not believe a thing rightly until you act in accordance with it." - AW Tozer