Today's daily devotion

Give It All

Jesus looked him hard in the eye—and loved him! He said,“There’s one thing left: Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor. All your wealth will then be heavenly wealth. And come follow me.” The man’s face clouded over. This was the last thing he expected to hear, and he walked off with a heavy heart. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and not about to let go.—MARK 10:21–22 MSG

It wasn’t the response the rich young ruler wanted to hear. Things usually went his way. His position and prestige afforded him that.

But these straightforward, piercing words, blended with the love in Jesus’ eyes, troubled the man’s soul. It just was too much. He understood just what was being asked of him—everything! The pain in his heart was reflected on his face and in his posture as he slumped away. The truth was, this ruler was not ready to relinquish his all for Jesus.

What has Christ asked you to let go of? What are you holding tightly to? Most of us don’t have great wealth (we might wish for that kind of “problem”), but are we willing to give up what we do have to serve Him?

Outwardly, we may look fine. But inwardly? Are our motives pure? Do we have an “underground” thought life? Is there anger bubbling beneath our calm surface?

The stresses of caregiving can bring such trouble spots to light in our lives. Today let’s face the truth of exactly who we are and give up those things that prevent us from wholeheartedly serving Jesus.