…Jesus…said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell all
that you have…and come, follow Me." But when he heard this, he became very
sorrowful, for he was very rich. —Luke 18:22-23
“Jesus did not show the least concern that this rich young
ruler should do what He told him, nor did Jesus make any attempt to keep this
man with Him. He simply said to him, “Sell all that you have…and come, follow
Me.” Our Lord never pleaded with him; He never tried to lure him— He simply
spoke the strictest words that human ears have ever heard, and then left him
alone. Have I ever heard Jesus say something difficult and unyielding to me?
Has He said something personally to me to which I have deliberately listened—
not something I can explain for the sake of others, but something I have heard
Him say directly to me? […] Our Lord knows perfectly well that once His word is
truly heard, it will bear fruit sooner or later. What is so terrible is that
some of us prevent His words from bearing fruit in our present life. I wonder
what we will say when we finally make up our minds to be devoted to Him on that
particular point? One thing is certain— He will never throw our past failures
back in our faces.” CHAMBERS
“If any man comes after Me, he must deny himself, pick up
his cross, and follow Me.” (Matthew
16:24) Each of us faces a daily
battle. Say “yes” to Jesus or say “yes”
to ourselves. It’s not abnormal, it is
very normal. The battle of the wills. Will I listen to Jesus or not. You know what I mean. (1
Corinthians 10:13) “There is no temptation but that which is common to man …
“ The wealthy young man was drawn to
Jesus, but he loved his wealth … his lifestyle .. his friends … his home … he
loved his natural life. To follow Jesus
means that we must lay “us” down, as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1) and follow Jesus.
You cannot do both. You are
deceiving yourself if you think you can.
It starts in the heart. God spoke
of David as a “man after God’s own heart” (1
Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22). Did David
have issues after he was made king? Absolutely. So it must not mean that you will remain
sinless when you follow Jesus. But you remain yielded to God. Even though you are influenced by the world,
you remain devoted to the One who has called you.
You must fight the battle every day. But not on your own. You stumble, but you are cleansed by the blood
of the Lamb. And as you grow spiritually
stronger, the less you will stumble. Can
a man live a sinless life on this earth?
Only One has. Do not be
discouraged with your failings. Be
encouraged that you have been sanctified and are justified through Jesus in the
sight of the Father. If you have given
your heart to the Lord, you will not be content with the natural life. You will not be content with a life filled
with unconfessed sin. You are a child of
the King. If you are struggling today,
read Psalm 51. David was struggling, but then he remembered,
because Nathan reminded him, of his relationship with and love for the Father. And so, let me remind you. Do not be discouraged,
the Lord your God is strong with a mighty arm, He will save you. (Psalm
37:4) CHARLEY
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