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 your cross, and follow Me.”
But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.  Mark 10:21-22 NKJV

Whether we realize it or not, we must walk away from something or someone at certain points in our lives. Many students are going through graduations this time of year. In order to begin their new lives as they grow, they will walk away from their high schools or colleges to move on to the next step of either college or a career.

Walking away is how we grow. The problem is sometimes we walk away from what is right and walk toward what is wrong. Many people try to fill a void in their heart with things they should stay away from.

So, have you ever thought about what you walk away from and what you walk toward? In the parable of the rich young ruler, this young man had come to Jesus and inquired about what it took to have eternal life. Jesus told him he needed to obey the Ten Commandments. This young man said he was doing this.

This is where I first want to point out that sometimes our good just isn’t good enough. Many people believe they will spend eternity in heaven because they are good people, but this not true.

When Jesus asked if he was obeying the commandments, he said yes. If you will recall, however, in Matthew 22:37 Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love the Lord with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. When the rich young ruler refused to part with his many possessions, he was disobeying that command. He had allowed his possessions to become his idols. He chose them over Jesus.

He was unwilling to walk away from all he had to follow Jesus. Our Scripture passage says Jesus looked at him and loved him.  The young man went away sad. He turned away from living in heaven for eternity for the temporary riches here on earth.

Jesus wasn’t just referring to wealth, He was referring to anything or anyone who gets in our way of loving the Lord with all our heart, our soul and our mind. This could be possessions, relationships, intentional sin or anything that gets in the way of our relationship with Jesus.

The rich young ruler had a choice. Jesus called him to walk away from his possessions and follow Him. Instead, he chose to walk away from Jesus and keep his many possessions and his great wealth. Which would you choose? Be honest with yourself.

Is there anything in your life you need to walk away from today? Do you have a relationship that is corruptive or toxic or gets in the way of your serving and honoring the Lord? Do you have intentional sin that you can’t seem to stay away from? Do you have possessions that you focus on more than you focus on Jesus? Anything that gets in the way of us loving the Lord and following Him as we should, will mean nothing when it’s all said and done. These things won’t get us into heaven but may very well keep us out.

Now I encourage you to ask yourself is worldly fame, riches, relationships, or any other sin worth missing out on eternity in heaven? Is it worth the risk of spending eternity in hell? You must choose.

How we live our lives here on earth will determine our final destiny. Pray for wisdom and discernment to walk away from the things that inhibit your walk with Christ.

Have a great day!