Rich Young Ruler, “Are You Ready To Give It All Away?”
Are you a rich young ruler?
Today, I am looking at the picture on this FB group and thinking about how Christ opened himself to God and to the world and died with His arms opened wide. I find it difficult to look at that picture of my saviors suffering each time I come on this page. However, I know that it was that willingness to be vulnerable enough to die for my sins that makes it possible for me to go to heaven.
Jesus never shied away from saying exactly what God said to say. It did not matter whether or not those around Him understood what he said or if they could, or would, accept it. Christ just reflected God; no more and no less.
Always moving foward
Every time I feel that perhaps there may be a group of people or individuals that can receive the words that God speaks through me, God moves me yet to another truth that seems even more difficult for others to accept. I had one person come apart on me the other day because I wrote that there are “many” raptures. I thought to myself, “Wow, if that offends you just wait until you read some of the other things God has shown me.”
What I think is happening to many who read what I write is that they are like the rich young ruler. In the scriptures the rich young ruler is a young man of great wealth who says this to Jesus,
“What must I do to be saved?’
Jesus said,
“keep the commandments of God.”
Rich young ruler,
“I have kept the commandments of God from my youth.”
Jesus replies
“Sell all that you have, give it to the poor, and come follow me.”
However, rather than doing what God said through Christ the young man went away sorrowful because He would not accept or do the word of God. In other words, he loved what he had more than God manifest in the flesh who stood before him.
Be confident in who you know, not what you know
Many who come to me and thrill at some of the things I write are like this rich young ruler. They are confident in what they have in God but they become offended and go away sorrowful when I say something that is beyond what they are willing to accept. As long as my truth aligns with their truth everything is ok, but when God says something that challenges their very core beliefs they are offended and leave with a heavy heart.
To me, this says that they are trusting in what they believe rather than God Himself. Like the rich young ruler, they are confident in and of themselves and when they are faced with giving away that confidence and actually trusting God, that is just a bridge too far for them.
Nobody has it right yet, so why should mutual error divide us?
Most of what we believe is either partially or wholly in error. We believe and rely upon concepts of men that did not fully understand or know God. None of us have it right. All that we can do is trust God’s voice to lead and guide us into all truth. When we break fellowship because we cannot agree on what to believe, we do the devil’s work for him. We literally work against God by tearing down the temple He is trying to build. Our fellowship is based upon knowing a Person…period. If you cannot manage that truth, then you have not matured in Christ.
From the important words of Dory the fish in the movie finding Nemo, ‘just keep swimming.’