Where are you invested?
No, not in the stock market.
That’s not a conversation I can venture into. My portfolio would be made up of pizza chains
and apple products. Don’t think that
would work out too well for me, but it’s life in student ministry! But really, where are you invested in this
life? Furthermore, why have you chosen
to invest? When you think about the
stock market it’s all about strategic investing for the sake of gaining
return.
After confronting the hesitation that we often deal with
when Christ calls, this past Sunday night we took the conversation a step
deeper. I think our hesitation is really
a result of where we are invested. I
mean, if we take an honest look at our investment portfolio it might say very
little about the Kingdom. I think this
is the case for a lot of teens. This was
the case with the Rich Young Ruler. His
hesitation, his turning away from God was a result of bad investments. (Read Luke 18:18-30 and Matthew 6:19-24)
The thing that stands out to me the most in these passages
is what comes after them in the next verses and chapters. The Rich Young Ruler stands in contrast to
the disciples’ decision to follow and the blind man who seeks healing. His question shows he is more concerned with
where he stands, not in knowing grace. He
has invested so much in earthly treasures that he can’t get out. He is going to hold out hoping that his
investment pans out in some miracle.
Seems that teens are often like this guy holding onto relationships they
know they need to let go off, placing their self-worth in the athletic or
academic endeavors, and when challenged by the gospel, they would rather turn
away. The problem for these teenagers is
that this is often the message they learn from us adults. Our investment portfolio isn’t looking so
great either.
The passage is not simply about wealth. It’s about the state of the heart. And Jesus makes it clear…God should be the
treasure of your heart. Treasure is
about what you value. Unfortunately, as
Matthew shows us, we often invest in things that are easily destroyed. Reading this passage reminds me of the smell
of mothballs in my grandma’s house!
Secondly, Satan will use treasures of this world to steal
your heart from God. He’s got this down
in the lives of our teens. I think this
is in part why so many leave the church after they graduate from high
school. The Rich Young Ruler hadn’t
fully given his heart to God. What Jesus
called him to give up struck a nerve in him.
It’s the same nerve Jesus hit with the Pharisees. “No wonder those with vested interests hated
Jesus: So insidious was his attack upon earthly treasures that he became a `far
more terrible robber' than those who assault travelers along a highway. Jesus
assaulted the whole human race at the point where that race is most sensitive:
its desire for security and superiority" (Kierkegaard). Do our investments in this life really make
Jesus look like a robber? Ouch!
This passage ultimately comes down to an issue of
allegiance. Loyalty is at stake, not
wealth. You must choose between
competing treasures in order to follow Jesus.
The disciples left everything.
The blind man risks everything.
Jesus gives everything. So why is
the choice so difficult for us?
We’ve allowed Satan to be the thief of our hearts. He has stolen our affection. He’s done a good job too. So much so that when Christ calls, we
hesitate and even fail to follow. Talk
about bad investing. We know the return,
but we do it anyway because our hearts have been compromised. The Rich Young Ruler is so bound up in the
things of earth that it is all but impossible for him to follow. Though he has everything in life and has
probably seen everything in life, he is blind to the truth of Christ. Contrast that with the blind man who finds
his sight by pursuing Christ, and this story becomes a little more
uncomfortable.
The single eye Jesus is talking about in this passage in
Matthew is so devoted it doesn’t even see what is on the periphery. When it comes to our investments, God requires
us to surrender to him the ownership of everything, so that we never again
consider it as our own; we must do with it only what he would do. Is your security in Christ, or in earthly
investments?
Ultimately, this is a story of all of us, rich or poor. Salvation doesn’t come through an empty bank
account. It’s more about where your
trust resides. We all have something
causing hesitation in us. We all have
some kind of misplaced investment. What would
Jesus call you to leave behind that would touch a nerve in you? What is it that keeps you walking away from
what God has for you? And the toughest
question for me in all of this…
Why is it so easy for us to choose earth over heaven?
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