August 18.

"All my delight is in you Lord..." ...you sure?


The Rich Man and Jesus.
Matt. 19: 16-30.

Jesus spoke with simplicity and authority; reality rather than allurement.
"It is what it is", was his subliminal motto. "Come to me and great will your reward be in heaven."
"But that's not right NOW." thought the man, consciously or subconsciously.
"This can't be. That's too much. How can I have great treasure when He's asking me to give all this up?! Plus, I'm not even that good at selling things. That can't be what He means."
But it is, beloved.
He asks for everything. And in turn, promises everything. Which doesn't make sense. But then again, that's the Kingdom--where everything is flipped around. Where the poor are rich? The hurting are comforted? The lowly and humble are the highest exalted? Where not just actions, but hearts have to be pure? What does it even mean for a heart to be pure? (Matt. 5:3-8) That doesn't make sense! These are our thoughts.
But it does make sense...in the mind of Jesus. This is how Paul says that the church in Corinth will be transformed, "...by the renewal of your mind." (Rom. 12:2)
And this is why Jesus' words to the rich man don't make sense to us. Or at least not when we're the rich man and Jesus is asking us to give something.
We think with our mind--our fleshly, selfish, human mind where it's all about loss; where sacrifice is giving, which is painful, which is 'I don't want to do it' because 'I want'.
As Oswald Chambers says, the rich man came with zeal and determination and then left with sorrow and discouragement  because of what Jesus asked for. He didn't even have to say that to Jesus; he was just so sad. And then walked away, head hanging, probably fighting depression and condemnation. ["But hey, you have your stuff", says the enemy] hm.
What Jesus is saying though is to leave all that behind because He has something even better! It's more lasting, more fulfilling, and will be sweeter than we can even believe.
But we can't believe. We can't give. We can't wait. Or at least we won't.

It's all about our will; our plans, our desires. We still have them.
That's what keeps us from freedom in Jesus and an understanding of God and His ways.
Our "will" (look up a definition for that word right now) has to become His will or it's never going to work.
We can fight it--and on the surface be really, really "happy"--but our souls will never be at rest.
The very deepest places in us that we can't even pinpoint will not be content--leading us to the feeling of need.
Which is why we want more things, buy more things, date more people, text more frequently, travel more selfishly, and basically do anything that means I don't have to give ___________ to Jesus, because _______ is all I really need.
This is why 'stuff' never satisfies (whether it's physical or emotional). It's temporary. And our souls know that--but our minds don't--or won't admit it.

The rich man is the perfect representation of us; that's what is in our nature to be and to think and to do.
Temporary, self-consumed, impatient.
We literally have to ask God to change us. Starting at the heart; changing our motivations (which constitutes a change of our minds).
If we could "get" the big picture that it's not about us--that it's about God and his glory being displayed and about all of creation coming to worship him, with him then working all things together for their good--then giving is actually receiving, and sacrifice really is gain.
If we could recognize and accept that God's plan is better than our and then submit to that--no matter what the cost--we will find rest and freedom and joy we didn't even know existed.
It takes believing though. Then obeying--with the help of the Holy Spirit.
That is when we truly come to life and live.
The Bible really is right, then.
To live, we must die; to receive, we must give; to have faith, we must believe.

Amen.