Sell Everything! - It's Not Your Money

In Mark 10: 17-30 we read about the rich man who asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus answers that he needs to follow the commandments. The man had done so. A deep relationship with God was obviously important to him. He had diligently kept the commandments since his youth – what his religion required of him. Yet, he knew something was missing. The man must have wondered that there must be more to it. And there is. One thing more. Jesus looked at him with love and told him,“You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to [the] poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me (21).” There it is – sell everything!

Like the man in this story, don’t we also wonder if there is more we should do to gain eternal life? Out of love, Jesus tells him – and us – what the one thing is that we must do. But, how would we live if we sold everything? How would we eat? Pay bills? And is it a bad thing to have wealth? Not necessarily. But if wealth is our source of trust and confidence about our future, then that confidence is misplaced. God alone has our future in His hands. We tend to think that it is our wealth that allows us to be in control of our future. But we know deep down that this isn’t really so. We see examples almost everyday that we are not in control.

God is to be first in our lives, in every area of our lives, even first in our wealth. We are to trust God and be confident that He provides. Trusting in wealth, then, becomes a hindrance to our relationship with God and with others.

Check your attitude toward your possessions. Wealth is bad if you:

Believe you’ve attained wealth due entirely to your own efforts.
Are preoccupied with obtaining and managing your wealth.
Think your wealth makes you independent, needing nothing from anyone.
Think your wealth makes you happy and feel secure.
Are not willing to share with those in need because you’re concerned that that will take away from what you need.

Thoughts such as these are an obstacle to having an intimate relationship with God. Consider two Bible passages to help inform a proper mindset:

Deuteronomy 8:11-14,17-18 Be careful not to forget the LORD, your God, by failing to keep his commandments and ordinances and statutes which I enjoin on you today: lest, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built fine houses and lived in them, and your herds and flocks have increased, your silver and gold has increased, and all your property has increased, you then become haughty of heart and forget the LORD, your God. You might say in your heart, “It is my own power and the strength of my own hand that has got me this wealth.” Remember then the LORD, your God, for he is the one who gives you the power to get wealth.

1 Timothy 6:10,17-19 For the love of money is the root of all evils, and some people in their desire for it have strayed from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains. Tell the rich in the present age not to be proud and not to rely on so uncertain a thing as wealth but rather on God, who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment. Tell them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, ready to share.

Back to the man in Mark’s Gospel. We know he went away sad after hearing Jesus’s instruction to sell everything. We don’t know what he actually did. I bet that is on purpose. It leaves us to grapple with what we will do. Selling everything – rather giving sacrificially and trusting that God will provide is scary. But, when we embrace the truth that God owns everything and God gives us everything, including the ability to get wealth, then we realize how blessed we truly are. We then, in overwhelming gratefulness and all humility, joyfully answer our call to be courageously generous and give of our Time, Talent, and Treasure – everything.

Trust God. Sell everything. And give. Give because It’s Not Your Money.