WATCHWORD:
17 As he was starting out on a trip, a man came running to him and knelt down and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to get to heaven?” 18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good! 19 But as for your question—you know the commandments: don’t kill, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t cheat, respect your father and mother.” 20 “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve never once broken a single one of those laws.” 21 Jesus felt genuine love for this man as he looked at him. “You lack only one thing,” he told him; “go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor—and you shall have treasure in heaven—and come, follow me.” 22 Then the man’s face fell, and he went sadly away, for he was very rich. 23 Jesus watched him go, then turned around and said to his disciples, “It’s almost impossible for the rich to get into the Kingdom of God!” 24 This amazed them. So Jesus said it again: “Dear children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the Kingdom of God. 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.” Mark 10:17-25
Meditation:
I Used To Do That!
I used to jog 5 miles over my lunch hour when I was Dean at the college. I used to be able to translate Latin into English, and English into French. I used to be able to water ski over a jump and was actually in a water show at Tippecanoe Lake. I used to know how to find the square root. So many things I used to do, that are just history. I probably could still figure out how to find the square root, but why would I want to do that? Those others? No way! What are some of things you used to do? Can you still do them?
Whatever happened to all those talents, all those learned systems, all those skills, all that stamina? I guess we know the answer to that. Aging is a thief. If you don’t use it, you lose it!
Graces and gifts from God that we, maybe, have neglected, or simply didn’t recognize in the flow of our lives. Sometimes those graces come according to God’s schedule, not ours. Think Grandma Moses and her art. Think these Watchwords and the Pandemic.
And Jesus said to the rich young ruler, “go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor—and you shall have treasure in heaven—and come, follow me.” Sell all I have? Was He serious? Oh, yeah, He was serious. No fudging, no compromise, just sell it all!
What did our Lord mean? I think he meant, sell it all! He wants every molecule, every cell, all of you and me. He knows that when His will clashes with our will or our wants, our reaction is too often resentment, or our attempt to make a deal with the Almighty. I’ll do that, Lord, if You will… Well, I don’t think there are any wheeler-dealers in the Heavenly Vast, and certainly not out Creator God.
Everything on your list of “Used to do” and mine has passed through the hands of God, all those are His. Remember this: The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord? He means that, too.
Sarah Young, in her role as editor of Jesus Calling, relays this in His name: “Remember that all good things – your possessions, your family and friends, your health and abilities, your time – are gifts from Me. Instead of feeling entitled to all these blessings, respond to them with gratitude. Be prepared to let go of anything … but never let go of my hand!”
That is the point. It is not what we have or what we used to have, all that is noise and falling leaves, pleasant memories, but of no substance. The only way it would have meaning is if we are His, and we have His hand. Amen.
Bulletin Board:
All work is as seed sown; it grows and spreads, and sows itself anew. — Thomas Carlyle
Closing Prayer:
Lord, may we always be ready to focus more on you and less on ourselves, so we can be aware of unknown friends with whom we can share You. Amen.
