Letting Loose of the Things That Hinder Us

Luke 18:22

When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

The young ruler, as he is often called, was given the directive to sell what He had and follow Jesus.  It was a hard word for the young man to take.  He walked away from all that Jesus had offered because he could not give up his earthly treasures in exchange for the treasures that Jesus offered to him.

For most all of us, God's words do not come to us in such a direct manner as the words spoken to the young man.  They do not come in clear audible context.  God's directives come to us in the faint internal whisperings of the Holy Spirit.  We receive more of a gentle urging of the spirit rather than an anything audible.  Nonetheless, we are challenged just like the young ruler to decide if God is the most important thing in our lives.

Maybe, unlike the young ruler, it is not our treasures that we are holding on to.  Maybe we are holding on to a job that keeps us away from our family.  Maybe we are holding on to an outside interest that keeps us out of church on Sunday.  Maybe we are holding on to a habit that limits our ability to draw closer to God.  Maybe it is simply pride that is keeping us from fully surrendering to Our Savior.

Whatever it is, it is clear to Our Lord what we are holding on to.  In His loving kindness, He will insure that which we are clinging to is exposed.  The Holy Spirit will reveal the things of the flesh that we are clinging to.  The Holy Spirit will send us urgings that are designed to test our obedience.  If we ignore the urgings, they will become weaker and weaker until they eventually cease.  If we are obedient to the urgings, they will become clearer and clearer to us.  God's inspiration will become a greater part of our lives as we begin to seek the urgings of the Holy Spirit in all of our endeavors.  Through the process of obedience and surrender, we will learn to walk in the fullness of Jesus Christ.

Let us ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us the things that we are placing above God in our lives.  Let us ask the Holy Spirit to show us any areas of lack in our spiritual walk with Christ.  Let us submit to the urgings of the Holy Spirit so that we may live the abundant life that God has planned for us.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for drawing us to Yourself through the gentle urgings of the Holy Spirit.  We praise You for  providing the ever present Counselor in our daily lives.  We pray that our minds and hearts will be receptive to all that the Holy Spirit brings to us.  We ask for the strength to release the trappings of our flesh that are keeping us from surrendering fully to Your Son.  May our obedience bring richness to our daily walk with Our Savior.  We ask all these things in the name of Our Treasure on earth and in heaven, Jesus Christ.