What are you willing to leave behind?
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Jesus, Mark 8:36
Oh, how we love to cling to our stuff! Little stuff, big stuff, and everything in between. Like most people, I’m sure you have that one thing that you just cannot do without. That morning cup of coffee, that certain TV show, that special meal, or maybe it’s your favorite drink.
None of the items mentioned above will stop you from living. They are not essential for life. You may argue the meal. Yes, we do need to eat to live, but most of us can afford to skip a meal or two. Are you willing to lay down your special fix? What if you were to receive a special reward for letting go of that special fix? Now it becomes a little easier. Especially if the reward is grand!
What is the greatest reward you can think of? Shout it out — one billion dollars? Maybe you just want one-hundred million dollars or even one million dollars, a mansion on the coast, or a red Ferrari? How about eternal life? The greater the reward, the greater the price that must be paid.
How many people have you seen working fifteen to twenty hours a day because they have gotten a taste of money and cannot stop working to even enjoy their own money? They have chosen to leave behind their life to pursue money. There is a cost for everything we pursue in life.
One day, Jesus encountered a woman at the well. He told her He had living water. Not only will the person who drinks from the water that Jesus gives never thirst again but a living well of water will spring up inside of them. This woman who had five husbands and now lived with a man who was not her husband had the opportunity to avoid all the shame of coming to the well to draw water on a daily basis. She had an offer of an eternal water supply. Better yet, she soon learns she is talking to the awaited Messiah! What does she do?
She leaves her waterpot and goes into the city to tell others about Jesus. Did you catch that? She left her waterpot. Her life giving pitcher. You cannot live long in the desert without water. This woman was so happy about meeting Messiah that she left her life line behind to share this incredible news! The life giving necessities of planet earth don’t mean much when we truly encounter the Giver of Life!
Have you had a real encounter with Jesus, the Messiah? If you have, your life will be radically changed. You will want to leave this world behind, but first you will want to share the gift of eternal life that is found only through Jesus with others.
Let’s make sure we have truly encountered Jesus in our life. Let’s leave behind the things in this life that easily entangle us, and let’s be bold in declaring Jesus the Messiah to others.
Until we meet again – love like Jesus!
