Then looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him, “You lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”
But he was stunned at this demand, and he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.
Mark 10:21-22 HCSB

Our scripture passage today is the sad ending of the parable of the rich young ruler. This rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked Him what he must do to inherit eternal life? Jesus told him he must keep the commandments. He responded, “I have kept the commandments since my youth.”  Sounds like he’s off to a good start, right?

But then Jesus drops the bomb. Jesus tells him that he must sell all he owns and give to the poor and follow Him. Being  very rich, he was grieved and walked away.

When someone says they are ready, willing and able to do something, it implies that they are eager and fully capable of doing what is being asked of them. This rich young ruler was eager to inherit eternal life. He had great wealth and many possessions, but he wanted eternal life. The problem was, he wasn’t willing to do what was necessary to obtain it.

If you are reading this and thinking Jesus is saying you must be poor to enter into heaven, let me stop you right here. This is not what He’s saying. The problem with the rich young ruler is that he did not possess his wealth, but his wealth possessed him. Jesus knew that this young ruler loved his possessions too much to part with them. He knew that if he had to choose between his possessions and following Jesus, his possessions would win hands down.

Are you ready to be saved? Are you ready to take your life in a different direction? Well, that’s a good start. But the next question is, are you willing to do what is necessary to make this happen? Are you able to put Jesus first in your life and others second. This is what Jesus was asking this young man to do, isn’t it? He is asking him to give what he has to the poor and follow Him.

Do you have some things in your life that you need to give up in order to follow Jesus? Are you willing to give them up or will you walk away from eternity in heaven? Do you feel that you just can’t let go of sin in your life? Are you clinging to some bitterness and unforgiveness? Does your love of money get in the way of your service to God?

It’s easy to read the parable of the rich young ruler and think, “Oh, this poor guy”, without even realizing we are no more willing than he is. It’s easy to become so comfortable with things we need to eliminate. that it can feel impossible to do so. I have been there, done that and got the t-shirt.

But Philippians 4:13 tells us we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. If we commit to follow Christ, He will help us to rid our lives of those things that stand between us and Him. When I became eager to improve my life, I turned to God. I had to give it all over to Him. I even had to give Him the sin in my life that I thought I could just hold on to. He picked up my world and shook it all up and turned it upside down. I thought my world was falling apart, but when He was finished, it simply fell into place.

If you are ready to follow Jesus, but unwilling to let go of things you know are holding you back, know that He can help you. Jesus is fully capable of helping us to eliminate sin, hatred, bitterness, anger, and unforgiveness. He can help to remove anything else that we need removed.

Verse 21 tells us that Jesus loved this young man. He wanted him to understand what he needed to do.

We have to be willing to give it all over to Him. We have to be able to put Him first in our lives. So, if you are ready, but having a little trouble with the willing and able part, let Him help you. HIs arms are open wide to receive you, troubles, baggage and all. He will take the good, the bad and the ugly. He will clean you up and make you white as snow if you will only let Him (1 John 1:9).

Have a great day!