ARE WE CHOOSING TO WALK
AWAY?
A
rich, young man reaches out to Jesus. "What must I do to inherit
eternal life?" "Sell
your worldly possessions, give to the poor, and follow me,"
answered Jesus. The rich
man couldn't do it. He
couldn't give up this world for eternal life with Jesus.
And Jesus didn't chase him.
Jesus let him choose, and watched him walk away from the
kingdom's blessings. (Mark
10:17-22)
There
are times that we must do the same.
We see others hungry for fulfillment, trying to fill the inner
void by means of this world. We
talk and argue, hoping to turn on that "light" within them.
"Jesus is your answer!"
We become exhausted by our efforts, and ultimately we must let
them go and allow them the freedom to choose for themselves.
Jesus
never argued the truth. He
never ridiculed anyone who walked away, and he never chased anyone who
refused His Kingdom. Jesus
came to love, and His life shows us that He even loved those who
walked away. We, as His
children, must live His example.
A
friend of mind has recently walked away from the kingdom.
He knows of God's reality, and has experienced Christ's
blessings. However, the
difficulties and worries of this life have smothered the Word.
The farther away he walks, the easier it is for him to justify
his choice.
How
can a person make a commitment to Christ, experience the fulfillment
of new birth, receive the peace of forgiveness, taste the sweetness of
answered prayers, and yet leave it all to return to the old life?
I
struggled with my judgements -- that is, until the Lord exposed to me
the times I, too, have chosen to walk away.
Subtle things like worry, frustration, and doubt invade my
life, causing my focus to shift from Jesus to my problems. Guilt often
assaults my heart, while pride attacks my mind.
A weak foundation is revealed.
Jesus is put in a box, and I soon imagine boundaries around
what He can and will do for me.
The
desires of this world -- money, success, and things -- are often lures
to old attitudes and habits. The
void returns and I struggle to find my way back to God's path.
It's a continuous battle of sin vs. fulfillment.
All
the time, Jesus is watching and waiting.
He will allow me to reap the consequences of my wrong choices
as I fail to understand His desire to bless me and take care of me.
He wishes for all of His children to prosper, but before that
can be obtained on the earthly realm, the heavenly soil of our
foundations must be fertilized. We
must take hold of the truths and applications in His word.
They must become a part of our lives as we trust and believe in
His promises.
My
heart aches with remorse as I remember the times I've chosen to return
to the world -- especially
when I know the truth. It
hurts as I picture Christ, shaking His head in regret, watching me
turn and go the other way.
Thankfully,
God is a God of mercy. He
has promised "that He who began a good work in you will carry it
on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 1:6).
He won't let me stray too far.
God
has filled each of us with a yearning that only He can fulfill. The
rich man rejected Jesus' offer because the price was too high.
The choice is offered to us daily.
Are we, too, choosing to walk away?
Lord Jesus, I pray for
all of us who have tasted your goodness, but are often blinded by the
schemes and struggles of this world.
I pray that you will continue your work in us, calling us back
to your fold, just as a shepherd would search for his lost sheep.
Amen.
©
1999 Caryn Burdine