Matthew 19:21-22 reads, “Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.”
Christ asked the “rich young ruler” to sell all he had and follow the Lord. The ruler refused and was denied a blessing.
Would you not do the same? Christians today seek to buy homes and provide comfort for their families, but that is not selling all you have – it’s acquiring more.
The ruler was asked to sacrifice, but wouldn’t.
Compare that to Abraham, who was asked to sacrifice and was willing to. If not for the Lord stopping him, Isaac would have died that day at the hands of his father.
The ruler refused, and was not rewarded.
Abraham accepted, and received blessings.
It is the willingness to “go all the way” that is blessed. That is faith.
However, we shouldn’t be willing to sacrifice everything because we expect to be rewarded on the other side.
We should be ready to sell 100% and live in abject poverty. We should be willing to plunge the knife if that is what God commands.
We will be rewarded, but the promise of reward is not for this life. We are laying up our treasures in heaven.
Seek ye first the kingdom of God.
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