Forsaking All

Luke 18: 15-30
Have you noticed how willingly children accept things of God. From a very young age, my son was always doing things to please God. At four years old, we overheard him tell his friend, “Aren’t you happy that God loves us?” Children are accepting of information without having to ask questions; it’s in their nature to trust.. Jesus wants our hearts to be just as willing to accept His gift of eternal life.
In contrast, the rich ruler asked questions and tried to rationalize his lifestyle. How can one be save? What else must I do? Isn’t there any other way? Instead of being accepting, he had been focusing on his ability to obey God’s commandments and not of the life changing power that happens when God is in control. He had asked what he could do to inherit eternal life.
We all know that God has already performed what needs to be done. All sin has to be covered with a sacrifice and Jesus was that sacrifice. Jesus took the opportunity to reminded his disciples that the only way to be saved is a supernatural way prepared by God and that salvation was by no means anything that a human could do. Man’s role is to accept God’s unconditional love and gift just as a child would.
Perhaps you are concerned that you will have to make a sacrifice. You are worried that following Christ may cause you to lose your friends, family, lifestyle, career. But it’s exactly what Jesus means by forsaking all to follow him. The choice to follow Christ is not for the faint of heart. It is full of the adventure of personal courage, faith, and sacrifice. Jesus addresses the difficulty of sacrifice to his disciples by encouraging them; “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”
Children are accepting, trusting, and vulnerable. This open trust is what helps people believe in a God that loves them and has a plan for their lives. Accept God’s gift to you, trust that believing in Jesus Christ will cover yours sins, and be vulnerable to the healing and forgiveness repentance brings. The sacrifice is something that God has already done, there’s nothing else to do. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.