Harvest Daily with Greg Laurie - Sept. 8, 2006
Just Cut It Loose
Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
—Matthew 19:21
When Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell what he had, give it to the poor, and follow Him, some have misunderstood this to be a blanket condemnation of believers having wealth—or of any person having wealth for that matter. Yet Jesus did not make this statement to any other wealthy person He encountered.
Nicodemus, who came to Jesus at night, was a wealthy man. We also know that Lazarus was a man of means. Yet Jesus did not require this of them. Why? Because Jesus looked into the young ruler’s heart and saw that he did not possess possessions, but that possessions possessed him. What Jesus wanted from him was not his money, but his heart. Jesus didn’t say, “Give your money to Me.” Rather, He said, “Get rid of it and follow Me.”
Jesus might have required a career or a relationship from someone else. But He was basically asking this man to dethrone his wealth and enthrone the Savior. Yet the man was essentially saying, “Lord, you can be second place, but my possessions are first.”
What is holding you back from following Him? Is it an immoral relationship? Is it a group of friends who are having a bad influence on you? Is it alcohol or drugs?
Jesus is saying, “Turn your back on that and follow Me.” He wants you to have His gift of eternal life. But if something is in the way of your accepting it, then you need to cut it loose. And until you do, you are not going to want what He has to offer.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org.
Copyright © 2006 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000.
