Scripture
Our verse for today comes from Mark 10:21, ” Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.’ “
Background & Application
When we think about our Christian walk and the teachings of Jesus, doesn’t everything come back to humility? Our first steps to Jesus come in humble confession that we need a Savior and can do nothing to save ourselves. So why should anything change as we go about living out our faith? Once Jesus empties us of ourselves and fills us with Himself, our lives should be a complete reflection of His life on earth. But why do we lose sight over time of the simple grace of just having Him, and replace it with the things of this world? He didn’t save us so that He could have the honor of being a part of our life. His saving power is not another application we can download to improve our lifestyle. His grace is life-changing, not life-improving. It makes us completely different from the world, not doing the world’s things with His blessing.
So when Jesus prays for us in John 17, He prays that we may have unity with each other like He has with the Father, and that it may be so different that the world will believe that God loves them and sent Jesus for them. He says that when we forgive, we don’t forgive just seven times. We forgive differently, so that there is no end to our forgiveness, that the world will see how God forgives. He says that when we give, we don’t just give out of our abundance. We give differently, putting our entire livelihood at His disposal, so that the world will know that it all belongs to Him and He can provide for us as He chooses. So how different are you from the world? How much does your faith in Jesus really make you different from the nice, successful people that live and work around you? If we must lack one thing, let it be our things, rather than following Jesus. We get Jesus, how could we want more?
Charge
As we seek Him today, I want us to be consumed with the worth and magnificence of Jesus. Ask yourself why you might shun giving up something or doing without for the sake of having Jesus. Pray that all of us are obedient, knowing that we are all one body.
