This past Sunday, my pastor at my church spoke about spiritual faith. He read the passage out of Matthew 19 about the rich young ruler and then defined “spiritual mediocrity”. What is spiritual mediocrity? When he gave the definition, I could feel my heart beating up into my throat. It’s defined as: “seeking a life of ease, predictability and comfort.”

Matthew 19:16-22: Just then someone came up and asked Him, “Teacher, what good must I do to have eternal life?”
“Why do you ask Me about what is good?” [Jesus] said to him. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
“Which ones?” he asked Him. Jesus answered,
“Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother; and love your neighbor as yourself.”
“I have kept all these,” the young man told Him. “What do I still lack?”
“If you want to be perfect,” Jesus said to him, “go, sell your belongings and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”
When the young man heard that command, he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.

A very wise, godly lady gave me some advice about a year ago. It was Grace’s mom, Lynn. She said, “Don’t ever acquire anything that you wouldn’t be willing to give away to someone in need.” God’s always using the people who know Him to give us messages to remind us that holding onto things, like stuff we buy, the things that we think are going to give us satisfaction and comfort, are only going to leave us dissatisfied. It’s a futile search to find things to fulfill us when all we need is to know our Creator. HE is the treasure we need to seek and find.

Ya know, this guy in the story from Matthew is not a “bad guy” and I’m not so sure that Jesus really wanted him to sell everything he had. Perhaps Jesus was just trying to see where this guy’s heart was, what he was really wanting in life. His response reveals that he preferred a life of ‘ease, predictability and comfort.’

A prayer: “Lord, thank you for all that you have provided for me. I know that “every perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17). The greatest of all gifts you given me is Yourself, a real and satisfying relationship with You! Everything else, my family, other relationships, my job, my house, my possessions are just icing on the cake. Enable me, by Your Spirit, to not hold onto the stuff the world has to offer and miss You. I pray these things in the name of the Father, the Son & the Holy Spirit, Amen.”