Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. Matthew 19:21
So many things tug at my heart about this rich, young man’s conversation with Jesus.
1.) He began his speech by trying to fluff Jesus. You know how people do, when they think they’ve got it together…. GOOD MASTER, he called out to Jesus. (“What must I do”… thinking he had done everything right up to this point.)
2.) This guy was actually commissioned by The Lord Himself to become a disciple (University of Jesus) and gave the thought a hard pass after what Jesus told Him to do. (Sell out)
And third, Jesus gives the protocol to perfection.
If you will be perfect…..
Who doesn’t want to be perfect?
I’m writing this after this young man’s story leaped off the page and into my heart.
My heart that wills to be perfect.
So, after reading this a couple days ago, and meditating on it a while, fast forward to last night. It’s date night.
I’m so excited.
Adrenaline kicking in from running, smitten with my man, and overflowing to just give away everything I’ve got.
Ready, set…….
Then I enter the kitchen and my man says, I have an idea for the living room.
Perfect I thought. Finally.
(Remember the blog about the living room and wasted time.)
Here it comes, I thought,……wait for it.
Wait for it.
“I think we should tear out all the tongue and groove and put up old barn lumber.” He said.
What…??????
You’ve got to be kidding me.
That’s the great idea?
What about the big hole in the wall, where now sits the tv, our only access to any kind of change for the living room?
Thats what we need to do.
Not rip out our beautiful walls.
EXPLOSION. My ears started to get hot again.
Praise Jesus. We reeled it in quick, before our date night got spoiled.
I went off to the other room where the Holy Spirit nudged me and said, “Giving everything you have away, eh?”
It’s so much easier in theory.
As a matter of fact, sometimes it is easier to give people things, instead of your own rights.
True Love is sacrifice.
Someone has to go first.
Jesus did.
We weren’t worthy of Him selling out His rights for us, but He did it anyway.
We were the Joy, set before Him.
YOU were worth it.
I was worth it.
Jesus is the model of love perfected.
Selling out and giving to the poor.
We were poor.
Spiritually bankrupt.
But He gave His best. Not just in word or theory, but in deed.
Thank you Jesus.
So, pressing on towards perfection……
ThankFully Restored 