Walking away from Jesus, with sorrow
Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false ( Read more... )
1) It says the man was 'sorrowful, for he had great possessions'. Jesus would have known that before the man spoke to him, so that's why he opened the man's eyes to this. That was what was stopping the man from being where he wanted to be - to ask Jesus, he must have felt something was 'wrong', Jesus was showing him what it was. It doesn't mean that nobody can be in heaven unless on earth they have sold all of their possessions. I feel it was a personal message included to entice us to examine our own lives and find out the next step we need to take towards improving.
2) It doesn't challenge me so much about material possessions as to challenge me about my attitude towards them. Is it ok if I try to get a good job and buy those shoes I want? Yes. Could I give up my income and shoes if needed to? I think I could.
3) In place of the giving-up of my possessions I felt it was important to give up my habit of following celebrities for entertainment, supermodel-worshipping and buying fashion and beauty magazines. I thought it surely wasn't impacting me that much, but I felt the pull so I stopped buying the magazines and looking at my old websites... I feel so much better. This was my most recent personal thing. I feel a new one coming on with makeup - yesterday I lost some of mine and the sheer terror that came from going out almost barefaced to meet my boyfriend for lunch can't be good :] I depend on it too much.
4) We cannot now, and the fact it wasn't included suggests it wasn't important. The message was the important thing, that he found it so hard.
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I also want to say, of course, you should always give. If everyone gave their excess wealth to those who need it, no one would be poor. I have only just finished being a full-time student (I quit the course) and am now looking for my first job but I still support 4 of my favourite charities financially (£3 a month deals) and refuse to buy factory-farmed food. It's so important to me. Others might be able to volunteer, or give more, or whatever. See what you can do.
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