What Are You Still Lacking?
In Matthew 19, Jesus is approached by a rich young man who asks Jesus a question. How many times do we go to Jesus asking Him a question? What is it that we ask Him? This young man wanted to know how he could have eternal life. The thing about asking Jesus a question is that He always gives us an answer. Often we don't understand the answer or think it isn't the answer we wanted. In reality its not that we don't understand the answer, but that we never understood the question. I am so thankful that Jesus knows the questions and the answer and He gives me the right answer in spite of myself.
Jesus tells this man that if he wants to have eternal life, then he has to obey the commandments, but this man had done all that. What he maybe did not realize though was that deep inside all of us, we don't necessarily long for eternal life as much as we long for relationship and fulfillment of who we were created to be. So he asks Jesus what he was still lacking. He knew something was missing in his life. He had that part right, and he was right to come to Jesus and ask. What am I missing was the real question he wanted to ask. Don't we so often come to Jesus and ask so many other question and then we finally get to the point where we are honest with ourselves and ask the right question?
Now Jesus gets to the heart of the matter and says if you want to be complete and whole, sell all you have, give it to the poor, and follow Me. The first part of that may vary for each of us depending on what it is that we are holding on to. The second part never changes. What He is saying is that if we want to have the whole life that God intended for us to have, then we have to let go of everything and hold on to Jesus.
If your like me, a lot of times I know what question I need to ask, but I don't ask because I also know what Jesus' answer will be and I may not like it. What we have to get in our head though is that hearing the answer and doing it, is infinitely more valuable to us than remaining as we are. What is it you are still lacking? What is it you need to ask Jesus? Go to Him and ask. He will answer. Then go and do it and follow Him!
Jesus tells this man that if he wants to have eternal life, then he has to obey the commandments, but this man had done all that. What he maybe did not realize though was that deep inside all of us, we don't necessarily long for eternal life as much as we long for relationship and fulfillment of who we were created to be. So he asks Jesus what he was still lacking. He knew something was missing in his life. He had that part right, and he was right to come to Jesus and ask. What am I missing was the real question he wanted to ask. Don't we so often come to Jesus and ask so many other question and then we finally get to the point where we are honest with ourselves and ask the right question?
Now Jesus gets to the heart of the matter and says if you want to be complete and whole, sell all you have, give it to the poor, and follow Me. The first part of that may vary for each of us depending on what it is that we are holding on to. The second part never changes. What He is saying is that if we want to have the whole life that God intended for us to have, then we have to let go of everything and hold on to Jesus.
If your like me, a lot of times I know what question I need to ask, but I don't ask because I also know what Jesus' answer will be and I may not like it. What we have to get in our head though is that hearing the answer and doing it, is infinitely more valuable to us than remaining as we are. What is it you are still lacking? What is it you need to ask Jesus? Go to Him and ask. He will answer. Then go and do it and follow Him!