"Not a dime to my name..."

Today's verse: "Jesus looked at him and loved him. 'One thing you lack,' he said. 'Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'" --Mark 10:21

In case you haven't guessed it, or you haven't gone to your bible and read the preceding verses that this verse pertains to, this is the story of the rich young man. I have been reading through Mark and this verse just jumped out at me. Usually, when I read this story, all I see is the verse about how the young man has kept all of the commandments and then Jesus tells him essentially that he hasn't done enough. Jesus tells him that he must sell his possessions and give the money to the poor and then he'll be ready to follow Him. The typical lesson that is taught in Sunday school and from the pulpit is "don't love money more than God." This is a true lesson. Jesus expounds on why we should be wary of putting our trust in money and financial security by his analogy of the Camel fitting through the eye of the needle. This is all true. Placing your trust in money and material possessions might be the right answer in the world's eyes, but any security that those temporary things can provide is false. It can't really protect you. People can steal your stuff. Possessions can be destroyed. The value of all your money can deflate in a heartbeat.

For instance, I have some Iraqi dinar in my footlocker that has a picture of Saddam Hussein on it. I think it is like $1 million worth of dinar. Or was, at least. When I was over there, they were handing it out like toilet paper. I might as well wall paper my room with it because it is worthless. But, at one time, it was worth a fortune. Money, like anything, derives its value from that which it represents. Our paper money is worthless in and of itself. But it represents a claim to a certain percentage of the U.S.'s gold or silver stash. Therefore, it is valuable. But take away the stash of gold or silver or change the type of paper money, and the old stuff instantly loses its value.

That is why the word of God is so valuable and so important and why we should be consumed by it. On the surface it is just paper and ink, no more than any other piece of literature. But, think about what it represents! It represents the very spoken word of God. "All scripture is God-breathed..." It represents God's voice. And we all know that that is the only that is constant and unchanging. There is no threat of it ever losing it's value. God's word has stood and will continue to stand the test of time.

So, there's my intro. :)

Here's my point. If you look closely at verse 21, I think you might see what finally, after all of these years, jumped out at me. "Jesus looked at him and LOVED him." Jesus knew this man had a sincere heart. He knew he was different from the Pharisees. This man earnestly wanted to follow Him. But this man had a problem. He was too rich. He had too much and because no one had ever taught him another way, all of his dependence was on his wealth. Jesus was not trying to ridicule him or shame him. He was trying to open his eyes. I think that it is interesting that He didn't use a parable or riddle to reach this guy, like he did when the Pharisees were trying to trap Him. He was straight forward with him because he knew the guy's heart. The guy wasn't evil. He was just misguided.

Jesus wants more than anything to make us prosper; knowing Him is the only way we truly can. He doesn't want us to lack anything. Everything under the sun is His anyway. It's all His! So, if we have Him, don't we have everything? Even the non-believing father, when asked for a loaf of bread, wouldn't give his son a stone. How much more will God give to His children. We have to get past the lies that the American marketing companies and media are telling us. Power, money and fame a man do not make! Money doesn't define us! And all the money in the world can't save our souls either! Jesus wants to free us from the bondage of depending on money. It's a poison that can cloud everything else. It's like a drug. You'll never have enough. There will always be more to buy or to earn. How many lives have been ruined by the lure of money? It's like a hole. The bigger it gets, the more empty it gets. Jesus wants us to see that only by completely depending on Him can we truly be fulfilled.

Whether we have a lot of wealth or we have a little (and by whose standard are we measuring wealth?), we still belong to God, and that makes us the wealthiest people in the world because we are heirs to the ruler and creator of everything. No matter what the world says, our value isn't based on our wealth, status, fame, etc. Our value as people, in my opinion, is only as strong as who we represent. It's based on whose we are. Plain and simple. Who's backing you?