Mark 10:17-31
Mark 10 is the story of a devoted young man who stands face to face with Jesus and asks, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” I can’t imagine a better question to ask in a one on one with Jesus. This man must have been wise. Of course, he must have been brave as well. Standing face to face with Jesus, he asks how to get to heaven. And if Jesus tells you your very own path to heaven, there really aren’t any excuses, are there? Just asking the question was an act of submission.
Jesus tells our friend that if he sells everything he has to give to the poor, he can go to heaven. Sometimes, when I read this parable I think to myself, “Big deal! What’s so hard about that?” My status in the world has always been high as an American, but some days I can actually imagine selling everything – especially if that meant being a missionary – one of God’s exciting servants serving in the world, so obviously an amazing Christian storing up treasures in heaven. I mean, don’t all missionaries go to heaven? A reality check quickly reveals that if my only motivation for given up my possessions was a quick pass to heaven, my salvation might not be as sure as I had hoped.
A deeper look reveals more than a simplistic parable about giving your money to the poor. This parable is really about giving God what is his. As a young person, I have been blessed with a wealth of ambition, a wealth of time, a wealth of energy. Each of us have different gifts and talents. Even traits like an ability to persuade, or being a beautiful person, are from God. The question that young man asked for all of us was “God, what do you want from me while I am on Earth?”
How will you invest your gifts? You may not have great wealth to give to the poor yet, but how can you put your personality to work for God? How can your time be invested to help others develop a passion for Christ?
Every Christian has been richly blessed. Unfortunately, the world continues to deceive us into believing we are deficient – that somehow our success in this world depends on pouring every drop of our time, money, and talent into something dubiously referred to as “just getting by” or “keeping up with the pack”.
Remember each day that your gifts belong to God first. If you find that fears or expectations from your job, your friends, your classes are driving you to invest your gifts unwisely, take a moment to ask God, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” And, if he shows you an area of your life that you are clinging too tightly to, ask him to release you from the fears of not having enough or not being enough.
Melanie
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