What Are You Afraid to Leave?

"As Jesus started on His way, a man ran up to Him and fell on his knees before Him.  'Good teacher,' he asked, 'what must I do to inherit eternal life?'

'Why do you call me good?' Jesus answered.  'No one is good, except God alone.  You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'

'Teacher,' he declared, 'all these I have kept since I was a boy.'

Jesus looked at him and loved him.  'One thing you lack,' He said.  'Go sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven.  Then come follow me.'

At this the man's face fell.  He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, 'How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!" Mark 10:17-23

In this story a man wanted eternal life and Jesus gave him an answer that made him walk away sadly.  Perhaps we think Jesus should have handed the man a tract and asked him to say a quick prayer to get eternal life, but Jesus looked at the man and loved him so He did something different.

Jesus asked this rich man to do something that spotlighted his real love.  Jesus asked the rich man to give away his wealth in exchange for treasures in Heaven and the rich man did not do it because he had great wealth.

See, Jesus must be loved most, He must be the believer's life not merely part of his life.  Jesus loved this man enough to expose the one thing that kept him from a saving faith, his greater love for wealth than Jesus.

This begs the question, "What are you afraid to leave?"

Are you afraid to leave safety?  Your career?  Your country?  Your comfort?  Your habits?  Your boyfriend?  Your retirement plans?  Your family?

What do you love more than Jesus?  What do you trust in more than Jesus?  What is your functional savior?  What is your prized idol?

After the rich man walked away Jesus said this to His disciples:

"I tell you the truth,' Jesus replied, 'no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the Gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields... and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life."  Mark 10:29-30

I'm challenged to see the immense worth of the Gospel.  I'm challenged to see the attraction of Jesus above all else.  I'm challenged to be satisfied by God Himself and nothing less.

Ask yourself what you're afraid to leave and then compare it to the surpassing worth of Christ today.