The Great Reversal

It's not that we can't have things....but are we willing to give them up to follow Christ?
It's not that we can't love our family....we should love our family...but do we love Jesus more than anyone else?
Who, or what, sits on the throne of your heart, and mine?
Will we put Him first above all things and people?

Mark 10:17-31 MSG

As he went out into the street, a man came running up, greeted him with great reverence, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?” Jesus said, “Why are you calling me good? No one is good, only God. You know the commandments: Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t cheat, honor your father and mother.” He said, “Teacher, I have—from my youth—kept them all!” Jesus looked him hard in the eye—and loved him! He said, “There’s one thing left: Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor. All your wealth will then be heavenly wealth. And come follow me.” 

My thought:  was the rich young man trying to get to heaven by following a list of rules, when what Jesus wanted was for him to know and follow HIM?  Did the rich young man really care more about his material possessions, than God?  Do I?

The man’s face clouded over. This was the last thing he expected to hear, and he walked off with a heavy heart. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and not about to let go.

My thought:  what might I be holding onto that I don't want to surrender??

 Looking at his disciples, Jesus said, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for people who ‘have it all’ to enter God’s kingdom?” The disciples couldn’t believe what they were hearing, but Jesus kept on: “You can’t imagine how difficult. I’d say it’s easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for the rich to get into God’s kingdom.” That set the disciples back on their heels. “Then who has any chance at all?” they asked. Jesus was blunt: “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you let God do it.” 

My thought:  Do we have it so easy...are we so comfortable that we don't need Jesus?  Our money buys us everything we need?  Keeps us from recognizing and realizing that we need Him to provide for us?  We can't buy heaven.  We can't purchase a ticket to get in.  But thankfully, Jesus purchased it for us when He died on the cross.  He offers it as a gift to us, but we have to accept it.  We can accept it by believing that He is the son of God.  That He died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins.  By accepting Him as Lord of our life.


Peter tried another angle: “We left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Mark my words, no one who sacrifices house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, land—whatever—because of me and the Message will lose out. They’ll get it all back, but multiplied many times in homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land—but also in troubles. And then the bonus of eternal life! This is once again the Great Reversal: Many who are first will end up last, and the last first.”

My thought:  great reversal.  Surrender all to gain more.  Die to self to fully live.