What's Blocking You?

When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Luke 18:22

Let me clear the air. This text isn't telling you to sell everything you have and give it all to the poor. It's not saying that you can't own anything nice. It's not even saying that rich people won't get to heaven. There's much more to it!

What we see in this text is a perfect illustration of the genius of Christ and the challenge of his call on our lives.

Here, Jesus pinpoints the one area of this man's life that needed to be confronted—his greed. Jesus knew this man wanted a relationship with him. But Jesus also saw the one thing that was keeping him from experiencing that relationship. So Jesus challenged the man to let go of his greed and instead take hold of Christ's hand. And he does the same for you and me.

What is the one thing that's keeping you from experiencing a powerful relationship with Christ? What is the one area that is holding you back from growing closer to God? Because no matter what it is—greed, anger, lust, apathy, etc.—Christ wants to pinpoint that area and he challenges you to trust him with it. Turn to him. Let it go. And instead, take hold of Christ's hand and follow him.

Is there an area in your life Christ confronted that you want to share?