I was having a delightful morning; it was just me, my coffee, and my computer. Having finished up an amazing prayer time with gentle worship music, I decided to catch up on some Christian blogs. The first blog post I looked at was over at BettieGsRASeasons about a new book by Cheryl Smith called Biblical Minimalism – Following Jesus From a Life of Abundance To a More Abundant Life. In her latest post Cheryl says,

“My family and I are finding a deep and meaningful sense of purpose in the “nothingness” God has led us to carve out in our lives.  Our passionate pursuit echoes the cry of John the Baptist’s heart in John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

-Cheryl Smith

I couldn’t help but notice I felt a bit uncomfortable or even sad as I read Bettie’s post. Don’t worry, Bettie! It was only because God was using it to show me my own heart. I wasn’t comfortable because I didn’t like the thought of letting things go. I noted that I probably needed to read the book, but needed to end my reading time and get to worship.

Does it surprise you that the very next thing I did was listen to a sermon on Matthew 6:19-24 entitled Our Greatest Treasure? In it, I was lead to ask myself the following question:

Have I set my sights too low?

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

-Matthew 6:21 (ESV)

My husband/pastor brought up the rich young man from Matthew 19 in his sermon.

“And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”

-Matthew 19:16-22 (ESV)

I had heard or read this passage many times in my life, but I’d never really related well to the young man. I have never been rich like him. I’ve never felt like I valued money and possessions over Christ. At this reading, I identified with him in a new way because I had just felt the sadness in my heart about giving up things.

We don’t have to be wealthy to hold onto things, do we? We can value all manner of things besides money:

Family, hobbies, leisure activities, time (my personal struggle!), home, safety, country, politics, career, reputation, and so much more…

Jesus calls us, as He called the rich, young man, to follow Him as life’s HIGHEST priority. He calls us to depend on nothing but Him for our satisfaction and hope.

Which of these above items (or others) do I dream about, long for, or live for? Is it more than one thing? Not that any of them are bad, but do any of these things compete with Christ for the possession of my heart? Perhaps I don’t spend a ton of time on any one of these things, but do any of them tempt me to live in less godly ways? Do I make excuses for sin so that I can hold onto them or make more room for them in my life? Do I get angry at people when they are threatened? Am I uncomfortable or sad at the thought of losing any of them in order to have a more abundant life with Jesus?

These are tough questions that I’m grappling with today. I find that I may prize safety over trusting Jesus some days. I find that I prefer my “me time” over loving others some other days. In fact, that first line of this post sums up something I love a little too much:

“…just me, my coffee, and my computer.”

I think it’s possible that even the times I have with the Lord and writing about Him can spill over into gluttonous times of neglecting those I’m called to love.

How can I not gladly be rich and generous with God and others, when He has been so rich and generous with me?

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”

-2 Corinthians 8:9

And if the thought of His giving of life for our sake wasn’t enough, we can consider His life for us now. He is alive. He is a good shepherd. He cares for us now and He gives us His Kingdom.

“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

-Luke 12:32-32 (ESV)

If I find that I am trusting and hoping in anything but Jesus, I must run back to Him.

He is our good and gracious shepherd. He became poor so that His flock might become rich. May we be shepherded by Him as we set aside lowly, worldly treasures and cares of the heart, and look up to Him as our true hope, trust, life’s desire, and dream. Because as Cheryl Smith says in her book,

“Biblical minimalism is not just about letting go of our physical belongings. It is all-encompassing to the point of stripping away every source of excess . . . It means getting down to the bare bones of trusting God to supply all our needs. It means releasing anything in our lives that cause us to live under extreme stress.”

-Biblical Minimalism, Cheryl Smith, page 111

I’m sure Cheryl has much good to say on the topic. You can get the book here!

If you’d like more encouragement in this, I’m sharing my husband’s sermon this week on Your Greatest Treasure. Just click on the podcast graphic below!

If you would like more questions to ask yourself and others, sign up for my newsletter below and you’ll receive a free booklet I’ve put together called Asking Is Loving as well as a free course on being transformed by God’s Word called Empowered By Truth.Newsletter and Freebies

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