Day 20: Mark 10:17-25

This man did not have any issues with how he was treating other people. When Jesus told him he must obey the Commandments that dealt with human relationships he assured Jesus that he had kept all those Commandments since he was young.

Jesus was able to see the man’s heart though. His command for this man to sell all his possessions, give the money to the poor, and then to come follow him was not a general statement meant as a standard for every follower of God. It was to gently show this man that, although he had kept some of the commandments, he had allowed his wealth to become more important to him than God. He had failed to keep the First Commandment: “You must not have any other god but me.” 

What is the one thing that if Jesus asked you to give up in order to follow him that you would have a hard time obeying? If there is anything that has that kind of a hold on you, anything that you love that dearly, be it a possession, a relationship, a dream, a habit, or anything else, you are breaking that First Commandment. God wants you to love him above anything and everything else. 

Is the Holy Spirit convicting you of something or someone that has become competition for your loyalty to God? Ask yourself, “If this [blank] was taken away from me would it cause me to doubt God?” If the answer is yes, then you need to pray about giving that thing over to God. Don’t allow anything to come between you and Jesus. Don’t come to trust in anything or anyone more than you trust in God. Don’t walk away from him because there is something in your life that you can’t give up.