"Now as He was going out on the road, a young woman dressed in Armani and carrying a Gucci bag and an iPhone 7 came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” So Jesus said to her, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’” And she answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.” Then Jesus, looking at her, loved her, and said to her, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell all of your designer clothes and accessories on E-bay, and give the proceeds to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” But she was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for she had a closet full of designer labels and many friends on Facebook." (Mark 10:17-22, TMK paraphrase). -----------------------
Note that in the above story (and the original with the rich young ruler), the text says that Jesus loved them, and then proceeded to tell them to get rid of their stuff. Why? Because Jesus knew that their stuff was keeping them out of the Kingdom. It was a distraction for them. Jesus knew they would be much better off without the things that the world so values. In the parable of the sower, recall that some of the seeds “fell among thorns and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain.” Jesus explained that these seeds represent those “who hear the word, but the cares of the world, and the delight in riches, and the desire for other things, enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. (See Mk. 13) So, the question we have to ask ourselves: Is anything choking our ability to relate to Jesus? Is anything distracting us? It could be anything, and it might be very subtle. Take the time to think about this, and take action if necessary. Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? (2 Cor. 13:5) _________________ Todd
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