Scripture:

Matthew 19:

22When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Read that verse again.  Let it sink in.  Do you hear it?  It’s the great contradiction.  “he went away sad”…why?  “because he had great wealth.”

Observation:

This blog entry is not mean to bash the wealthy.  I know many who love Jesus, serve the Father, and share their resources with the church and the hurting world.  And…they are happy!  Truly blessed to be able to give away whatever they can to build the kingdom.
So why is this man in Matthew 19 so sad?  Is it his wealth really that makes him down in the dumps?  Woe is me…I have so much.  What will I ever do with all this wealth?  No…it’s not the fact that he has much that makes him sad.  It’s the fact that he isn’t willing to give it up.  In the end what was most important to him was accumulation…not surrender.

Sadder still…he was a good person.  Not only did he know the commandments.  He had kept them…ever since he was a young boy.

Application:

There is a warning here for us all.  Even those of us who would consider ourselves “good”.  In a sense having “kept the commandments”, attended church, listened to a million sermons, attended a small group, served on a weekend, or worked in the nursery.  Salvation comes not to those who accumulate the most stuff or do the most things, but rather it comes to those who are willing to surrender it all to Jesus.
All of it.  Our resources, our time, our hearts, our very lives.  Nothing left for ourselves.  Everything surrendered to him.

Read verse 22 again.  If this were you…why would you walk away sad today?  “because he / she had great _____________________.

Prayer:

God help us surrender all to you.  May we not become just another great contradiction.  I pray in Jesus name, Amen.