One thing
More lessons from John Piper from his book "What Jesus demands from the world":
He is writing about the rich young man who asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. "If you would enter life, keep the commandments." The man responded, "Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth."
Piper asks, "Was this true? Maybe at one level it was. Perhaps there were no external behaviors that contradicted God's laws. But what about his heart? Jesus had said in another place, 'Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.' The problem with these rigorous law-keepers was that they focused on externals alone: 'Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.' Was that true of this wealthy man?
"The second step in Jesus' answer to the man's question reveals a serious problem in his heart. Jesus said, 'You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.' This is amazing. He says he only lacks 'one thing.'
"What is this 'one thing'? It sounds like three things: Sell what you possess, give it to the poor, follow me. How are these three things really one? These demands may be summed up like this: 'Your attachment to your possessions need to be replaced by an attachment to me." It is as though the man stood there with his hands full of money and Jesus said, 'You lack one thing; reach out and take my hands.' To do this the man must open his fingers and let the money fall. The 'one thing' is not what falls out of his hands, but what he takes into his hands.
"When a person treasures Jesus above money, the poor are always the beneficiaries. That's why Jesus mentions the poor. But the main point concerns what is happening between this man and Jesus. 'You lack one thing. You lack me. Stop treasuring money, and start treasuring me. You want to inherit eternal life. You want to enter the kingdom of heaven. I am the treasure of heaven. If you would have treasure in heaven, you must have me. If you prefer money over me now, you will not enter heaven where I am the treasure. But if you treasure me now above your money, "you will have treasure in heaven." I will be there. Only by your attachment to me will you inherit eternal life. If you would be perfect -- which is the only way into God's kingdom -- follow me.'"
Sooo, what is it that I am holding in my hands that is keeping me from taking Jesus' hands? What do I treasure more than Jesus himself? What has become an idol in my heart -- our ministry, my family, language acquisition? What gets in the way of my growing relationship with Jesus?
I encourage you to ask that same question of yourself.
