So, You Want to Be Perfect?

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
Matthew 19 (click the link)


KEY PASSAGE:
Matthew 19:16-22, 30, NIV 

Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”  

“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”  

“Which ones?” he inquired. 

Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”  

“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” 

Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 

When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth… 

“But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.”

REFLECTIONS:

The rich young man said to Jesus, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?”  It appears the rich young ruler thought he had it all together; in his own mind he basically lacked nothing.  He was probably thinking Jesus was going to praise him for all his good deeds in front of his friends and peers.  He kept the commandments and was doing good deeds within the community.  Based on his estimation of how he was living compared to the other people around him, he felt like he was living a righteous life.  Also, he was rich, so he thought he must have been doing everything right with God, otherwise why would God bless him with so many possessions?   

Then Jesus told him something that turned his world upside down:  “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”   

I like the old saying, “People climb the ladder of success only to find out later in life that the ladder they were climbing so hard to get up was leaning against the wrong wall.”  His ladder of success was leaning against the wrong wall.  The rich young man now had two choices: 

1. he could move his ladder of success to the right wall by giving his wealth to the poor and follow Jesus (God’s perfect will and purpose for his life), or…
2. he could keep climbing the ladder of success in its present position (the world’s way to success of obtaining as much wealth and possessions that he could; leaving him empty inside and always wanting more.). 

“When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.”  The young rich man missed an opportunity of a lifetime, like many of us do when we are tested.   When his faith was put to the test, the rich young ruler chose the way of the world instead of God’s will.  Like the rich young man, we live our lives for today’s comfort and future security instead of living our lives for eternity (building up treasures in heaven).    

Then Jesus said, “But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.”  Success in America is based on wealth, social status, job status, material possessions, etc; however, God looks at success in a totally different way.  A person called very successful by the world’s standards can also be a person who is wasting their life away if they are not fulfilling God’s will and purpose for their life.   

A reporter interviewed Rockefeller (the richest man on earth at the time) at the height of his wealth and business empire.  The reporter asked Rockefeller how much money it took to be completely satisfied with life.  Rockefeller replied to the reporter that it took just a little more than he currently had at the time because he was not yet satisfied with his life.  Wealth cannot buy you lasting health, happiness, true friends, loving family, and cannot buy you eternal life.  How sad it would be to gain the whole world and lose your own soul in the process. 

How much wealth did the rich man have when he died?  Not one cent; because you cannot take anything with you when you die—except for the riches in Heaven; purchased by actually giving away your wealth to others while on earth. 

POINT OF ACTION:

Do we even dare ask God, like the rich man, what will make us perfect?  God will tell us exactly what will make us perfect; however, just like the rich man, we may not like what we hear from God.  Perfect truth is the best medicine for our lives but sometimes it is the hardest to swallow. 

Is it worth going through God’s refining fire to become perfect?  It is an absolute “YES!” to this question.  Will it be hard?  You’d better believe it!  Can we make this journey of being perfected and purified on our own?  NO WAY!!!!  We must have God and God’s people around us, holding us up through this refining process, otherwise we will fall apart under the extreme heat and pressure.  God is perfecting us into a perfect jewel to be used for His crowning glory.  A diamond is a piece of coal that was formed under extreme heat and pressure.  Although I’m a piece of coal now, God is forming me into a perfect diamond by the heat and pressures of this world. 

We must keep striving to perfect our walk with God.  I can relate to the rich young man.  Just about the time I think my walk with God is great, Jesus shows me another layer in my life needing to be perfected that I was totally blind to just a few seconds before.

PRAYER:

Dear Heavenly Father, show me the things that are keeping me from being perfect.  Give me the strength and courage to go through Your refining fire, and to let go of all the things of this world.  Show me all the things I need to change in my life that are holding me back from doing Your will and purpose on earth.  Help me to understand Your definition of a successful life, so that I place all of my faith, hope and trust in You alone.  

WHO AM I?

I am Max Peeples, a man who is married to the most awesome and beautiful wife in the world.  A man trying to let go of the things of this world so God can fill his hands with the good things He has for him.