The “Want”

Mark 10:22

“At this the man’s face fell.  He went away sad, because he had great wealth.”

It was 1950 when the first credit card was introduced. Borrowing money was not a new thing; it had been going on since someone had more than another person. We use credit cards today in so many ways. They are not the devil, but the excessive want that turns into the burning desire to have before you can afford it can get us into loads of real trouble. When we find ourselves there, we fall victim to Satan’s schemes. Today’s devotion is not about credit cards or money but rather the “want” we seem to have.

The rich young ruler came up to Jesus and asked Him what he must do in order to inherit eternal life. If you think about it, we do the same thing. We fall victim to wanting things we cannot get. The rich young ruler thought he had to do something to gain eternal life. Jesus, being all-knowing, pointed out the one thing he was putting his trust in and finding comfort in, wealth. He simply told him to sell everything and come follow Him. I can see his face when it fell. We can read between the lines that this was not what he calculated he had to do. I am sure he was ready for this or that, but sell everything? What a blow to a man who was used to having what he wanted and purchasing whatever else. The Bible tells us that he went away sad because he had great wealth.

Wealth is not a bad thing. It was not a bad thing for this young man either. It is when we put our financial and asset strength above our devotion to the Lord that we get mixed up. This young man was no doubt used to purchasing whatever he wanted. The whole message of the gospel is that Jesus gave us something we could never purchase or barter for, salvation. It is a gift from the Lord because God gave His only Son so that “whosoever” would believe. Whosoever includes those with and those without.

Jesus tells us that the Father gives us what we need, all we are called to do is seek His righteousness first (Matt. 6:33). Today, take a mental note of what you have. It is yours because the Father gave it to you. Instead of seeking greater things and more money, try to seek, with the same voracity, the righteousness of God.

In VeggieTales, Madame Blueberry goes nuts at the Stuff Mart and has to have all the stuff. She spends all her time getting stuff and forgetting that she doesn’t need any of it. Is that you? Have you been preoccupied with going to Stuff Mart instead of seeking the Lord first? Sit back and thank the Lord for His abundance in your life and be happy with what you have. If Jesus made the statement about how hard it would be for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, then we ought to examine ourselves and make sure our wealth does not take the top spot. Put the Lord first in all you do, even over money.

Prayer: Father, help us to put our wealth in its place. Sometimes we focus on it above all else because, in today’s world, it purchases nearly everything we have. I pray that I give You control of all of my money. I pray that I would use it as a wise steward rather than a personal possession. In Jesus’ name, amen.